Vikings of Berk: Defenders of the Skies
by FictionalDrifter
Summary: The events following "Vikings of Berk: Rise of the Dragons". Based on episodes from the second season of the TV- series. - NOTE: If you haven't read "Rise of the Dragons" yet, I suggest you do so first. {I don't own HTTYD, or any of the characters in this story.}
1. Chapter 1

**Vikings of Berk: Defenders of the Skies**

**_Prologue..._**

_ Two weeks had passed since the Vikings of Berk had forged their alliance with the Night- Furies of Toothless's long- thought- lost colony._

_Two weeks since the entire colony of Night- Furies had relocated to the island of Berk, and settled- into their new system of caves – on the far side of the island…_

_Ten days since Hiccup had entered 'The Dragon Trance', and forged his new armor and sword from the unique deposit of ore – that was a gift to him, from the Night- Furies…_

_ The true affect of the new sense of security that had settled over the villagers – following their forming an alliance with the Night- Furies, was only now becoming apparent: Without having to worry about attackers striking under the cover of night – while their new allies kept watch, the Vikings were able to sleep long and deep at night…_

_Everyone was less irritable… Quarrels became less frequent, less 'heated', and easier to resolve. __It_ took Stoick several days to break his habit of bringing out a block of ice – to treat the headache he'd always seem to develop by the end of a 'normal' day… (Stoick's first few attempts to cure his non- existent headaches resulted in his getting a spike of cold- induced pain in his _forehead, and experiencing the first known cases of brain- freeze in the Viking- world.)_

_Berk was not without enemies – They all knew it… But the threat their foes posed didn't seem nearly as potent as it once had, and – even in times of peace, it was not in a Viking's nature to allow themselves to go 'soft'…_

**A New Training Exercise**

In the Dragon- Training Academy of Berk, five Viking teens were gathered – along with their dragons: Hiccup and his Night- Fury, Toothless; Astrid and her Deadly- Nadder, Stormfly; Fishlegs and his Gronkle, Meatlug; Snotlout and his Monstrous- Nightmare, Hookfang; and the twins: Ruff and Tuff, who shared the two- headed Zippleback – Barf and Belch…

As one might expect, though, Hiccup – The first Viking to ride a dragon, the one who (with 'some' help) forged the peace between the Vikings of Berk and the dragons, and the son and heir of Chief Stoick – was the official leader of the Riders of Berk…

"Ok, gang: Over here," Hiccup called, gesturing to the other Vikings to join him and Astrid – where they stood, in front of the wooden boards they used to pin maps and the like. When everyone had gathered, Hiccup continued… "Tomorrow's training- mission was actually Astrid's idea – So, I'll let her explain it."

As Astrid stepped forward, Snotlout and the twins groaned, "What?" Her satisfied expression falling away…

It was Fishlegs who replied, "Your training missions are so hard," He paused – holding up a bandaged hand, "I mean, 'Hand- to- Claw Combat'?" (– 'Hand- to- Claw Combat' being Astrid's last idea.) Meatlug licked her rider's bandaged hand, and Fishlegs hugged the dragon in return…

Astrid's heart fell, but Hiccup spoke- up before she could, "_All_ of our training- missions give us a chance to test our limits _without_ placing ourselves in actual danger…" Fishlegs looked as though he was about to say more, but Hiccup held up a finger, "If you happened to come across a wild- dragon when you're alone, for example: Wouldn't it be better to know how to fight that species of dragon – or how to evade it if you can't, by practicing with one that _isn't_ actually _trying_ to kill you?"

Fishlegs was silent for a moment, "Huh… I never thought about it like that…"

Snotlout snorted, "Ok – fine, but 'Spine- Dodging'?"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow at Snotlout, "Would you prefer it if they hit you?" (Next to him, Astrid muttered what '_sounded_' like "_Wouldn't that be a tragedy_" – her voice heavy with sarcasm... Hiccup grinned, but showed no other sign that he'd heard.)

Snotlout blinked, understood, and scowled. Hiccup continued, "Nadder- spines, crossbow- bolts: It's a good training- exercise… Kind of wish I'd thought of it."

_Two weeks ago, a few hours before Hiccup had entered the Dragon- Trance, he and Astrid had found a few minutes to themselves – to talk. It was then that Hiccup admitted that he'd 'put the pieces together', and had figured out 'what Astrid wasn't saying…'_

_That had marked the end of the awkwardness that had plagued Astrid – ever since she'd come to realize her true feelings towards Hiccup._

_Since then, the two of them were more casual and comfortable in their daily interactions – and they were pretty sure that the change had not gone unnoticed… (Snotlout continued to pester Astrid, however: He was either oblivious to, or deliberately ignoring, the fact that she had _no _interest in him…)_

Struggling not to blush at Hiccup's praise – indirect though it was, Astrid forced her mind back to the topic at hand…

"And this mission is easy: 'Dragon Island," she said – gesturing to the map as she spoke, "You just need to go from this beach on the east side, to this cave on the west side."

The others seemed to relax, and moved forwards to take a closer look at the map…

"At night…" – Shocked exclamations from the others… – "With no camping gear…" – Exclamations of disbelief from the others… – "… And no dragons," Astrid finished – trying not to laugh at the others' expressions.

"What? That's crazy: What's the point?" It was Snotlout, of course.

Astrid had expected the question, and had her answer ready, "To work on our stealth- skills, and our wild- dragon defense."

"Astrid's right," Hiccup said – picking- up where Astrid left- off. "We all know how strong we are _with_ our dragons, but we have to be able to survive and defend ourselves if we ever get separated from them." – Snotlout rolled his eyes, and Ruff and Tuff grumbled, but none of them argued.

"Trust me," Astrid finished, "It'll be fun!" More grumbling followed this, but – with Hiccup's support, it didn't faze her. (There had been times when part of her wondered whether Hiccup was simply humouring her by introducing her ideas as training- missions, but the explanations he'd given were perfectly logical…)

_That night…_

After only a few hours in the air, the outline of Dragon Island appeared, on the horizon. As instructed, none of them had brought any camping- gear. However, each of them carried a lit lantern, and a few of them had brought weapons – as a _last- resort. _Hiccup had brought his latest 'project': An ornate metal shield that didn't appear to be anything special, despite Hiccup's assurances that there was more to it than met the eye.

Once they'd landed, they set out along the beach – towards the spot where they would split- up, and begin to make their way towards the cave that was their goal…

When they reached the spot, Hiccup said, "Ok: One of us is going to have to skip the drill and take the dragons to the gave on the far side of the island. That way, they won't try to help us…"

At that exact moment, a wild- dragon – a Deadly- Nadder – appeared out of nowhere. Before any of them could react, Toothless and Stormfly had driven it away…

"… Just like that," Hiccup finished.

Seeing a way out, Fishlegs went for it, "I think the obvious choice is…"

"Me," Tuff interrupted, "Me – I volunteer!"

So – Once the other riders had dismounted, Tuff and the dragons rose into the sky… A moment later, they were out of sight…

With no reason to delay, the riders wished each other good- luck, and set off into the woods – Each picking a different path to follow…

_Astrid…_

Mere minutes after the five of them had parted ways, Astrid encountered her first dragon: A Deadly- Nadder… Familiar as she was with this species of dragon, she avoided its attacks with ease and – before long, it lost interest in her, and went on its way…

_Hiccup…_

Hiccup's first dragon- encounter was with a pair of Gronkles. Without a second thought, he snatched- up two medium- sized chunks of granite – which, he recalled, Fishlegs had described as being "Mestlug's favourite".

The moment the rocks left his hand, the two Gronkles lost interest in Hiccup, and lumbered off after the unexpected- treat…

Shaking his head, Hiccup was about to continue on his way, when he saw, "A campfire… Seriously? What part of 'stealth- skills' is so hard to understand?" With a sigh, he set- off in the new direction…

_Snotlout…_

Meanwhile, Snotlout had made his way to the top of a cliff – complimenting himself on his skills as he went. Once he reached the top, he spotted a log – which had fallen across a chasm, and now formed a reasonably sturdy- looking bridge…

Snotlout made his way to the log, set down the lantern and stretched- out on the log – complimenting himself on being "at- home in the wilderness"…

The moment the words were out of his mouth, he lost his balance, fell off the log, and landed with a splash in a small, but – fortunately for him – deep pool.

Snotlout swam to the edge, and pulled himself out – More than a little relieved that no one had been there to see him…

_Two hours later…_

_Hiccup…_

After what must have been close to two hours, Hiccup was nearing the clearing in which the campfire blazed…

He entered the clearing – fully expecting to see Snotlout sitting by the fire. Much to his surprise, he saw that – aside from with a small- arsenal of weapons, the clearing was empty…

Convinced that Snotlout had to be near- by, Hiccup was about to call out… when something slammed into him from behind, and he went down!

A moment later, having regained his bearings, Hiccup looked up to see – not Snotlout, but "Dagur!"

The Chief of the Berserkers' Tribe was just as surprised to see him, "Hiccup – Old friend!" He exclaimed – 'helping' Hiccup to his feet. "You're alive!"

"Uh… Last time I checked," Hiccup replied – while his mind raced. "Dagur… Uh… How long has it been since…?"

"Since you saved me from that dragon- attack, back on Berk!" Dagur's sentence drifted off, "Speaking of which… What happened to that Night- Fury that attacked you?"

"Oh… Uh… It got away." Hiccup managed – Grateful, for once, that he and Toothless weren't traveling together…

But Dagur didn't seem to be listening, and he had a strange look in his eyes, "Come to think of it… Just what _are_ you doing here?"

"What am I doing here…?" Hiccup repeated – as he raced to come up with an answer that Dagur would buy…

"Don't answer that!" Dagur broke- in, "I know _exactly_ why you're here! You're here for the same reason I am: You're here… to hunt dragons!"

'_Well that's as good an answer as any – since he's obviously willing to buy it_,' Hiccup decided. Aloud he said, "Ok… You got me: That's – why I'm here… All by myself." Hiccup spoke the last three words he said 'slightly' louder than was necessary – on the off chance that one of his friends happened to have spotted the fire, as he has, and was near- by.

Once they'd caught- up, nothing would do but for Dagur to show- off all of the hunting- trophies from his current visit to the island…

Finally, Hiccup had to ask, "Just… How long have you been here, Dagur?"

"What? – Oh… Uh… A couple of days… Weeks – Maybe… Hard to tell: It's all a blur when I'm on the hunt!" He shot to his feet, then, "But what are we doing sitting around here for? – There're more than enough dragons here for both of us!"

With that, Dagur turned, and set- off into the forest – and, reluctantly, Hiccup followed: What other choice was there?

_An hour later…_

One hour after Hiccup had – unintentionally, teamed- up with Dagur, they heard a rustling in the underbrush. Dagur had his crossbow up and ready to fire, and would have, if Snotlout hadn't burst out into the open – mere seconds before Dagur had hit the release- trigger of his crossbow…

The moment Snotlout saw Hiccup, he said, "Hiccup! – Oh, am I glad to see you! You would not believe what I've been up to: This place is crawling with dragons!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes; "It's _called_ 'Dragon Island' for a reason, Snotlout."

Then Snotlout noticed that Hiccup wasn't alone, "Dagur! What are you doing here?"

Dagur also rolled his eyes; "Snot…hat – Is it?" Snotlout tried to corrected him, but Dagur had already turned his attention back to Hiccup, "I thought you said you were here alone."

Fortunately, Hiccup had anticipated just such an encounter, and he had his answer ready, "Well… I was. But then I found you, and now we found Snotlout."

Even as he spoke, he shot Snotlout a look that – '_Thank Thor_' – Snotlout seemed to understand: Instead of asking about the others - or their training- mission, Snotlout said, "Well? – What are we standing around here for? These dragons aren't going to hunt themselves! … Well, some might – but that's not the point: Am I right?"

This seemed to satisfy – or at least – distract Dagur, and the three of them continued on their way…

By the end of the second hour, they'd also found Fishlegs, and Hiccup was sure he'd caught the briefest glimpse of Astrid… Just before Snotlout almost gave- away her presence: He was about to call her by name – of all the simple- minded things to do!

As they walked, Dagur said, "You know… We're a lot alike, Hiccup."

This surprised Hiccup, "Really? – How… How's that?"

"Well… We're both born- leaders – Sons of chiefs…" Fishlegs voiced his agreement with Dagur on both of those points – and Hiccup also had to agree…

Dagur continued, "… Who then had to be eliminated so that we could gain control…"

"Yeah… Wait – What?" For a moment, Hiccup was sure he'd misheard. "No, no: My dad hasn't been… '_Eliminated_' from _anything_!"

"But he could be: Easily! – Just say the word, and…" Without warning, Dagur thumbed the release on his crossbow…

In less time than it took to breathe, the point of the crossbow- bolt had punched into the trunk of a tree – the shaft of the bolt still quivering…

There was a moment of silence – then, which ended when Hiccup said, "Yeah… That's… Something to think about…"

Even though Hiccup was facing away from them, his friends could tell from his tone that the mere idea was deeply troubling to Hiccup…

A sudden noise caught Dagur's attention, and he rushed off to investigate it. The moment he was gone, Astrid stepped out of hiding, "Did Dagur say that he was hunting a Night- Fury? – Hiccup… It must be Toothless!"

"I know – And if he's loose, that means that all of our dragons are! The rest of you have got to go find Ruff and Tuff: Find your dragons and…"

The sound of footsteps announced Dagur's return. A moment later, he appeared – making his way back to where they waited…

Unfortunately, Dagur caught sight of Astrid before she could leap out of sight… Looking first at Astrid, and than at Hiccup, Dagur said, "Another one? Did you leave _anyone_ back on Berk?"

Hiccup thought fast: Turning to the others, he said, "I can't hunt with an entourage: Go back to Berk – Leave us to our business!" – He saw the concern in Astrid's expression, and shot her a look that said, '_Don't worry – I'll be fine…_'

Astrid, Fishlegs and Snotlout hurried off – to do as Hiccup had asked: They had to find their dragons, and they didn't have time to waste…

_Soon after the others had left…_

It was perhaps five minutes after the others had left that Dagur caught his first glimpse of Toothless – and, with a shout of "THERE!" he charged after the jet- black dragon…

Hiccup had known roughly where his dragon was from the moment that he and Toothless were within a half- mile of each- other.

When that distance had shrunk to a quarter- mile, Hiccup drew on the bond that connected the two of them, and used it to relay everything he knew about where they were, and of Dagur's hunt – across to Toothless's mind…

He could tell when Toothless received the information: He could feel both Toothless's anger, and determination – and now he was here…

By the time Hiccup had caught- up with Dagur, he'd backed Toothless up to the edge of the edge of the cliff... The black- dragon was using a rocky shelf – that rose up ahead of them, for cover…

Just as Hiccup was about to ask Toothless why he didn't simply fly free, the Night- Fury spoke – projecting his voice into Hiccup's mind, **'Dagur's fleet is in just off the coast: If I try to fly, I will be an easy target… There is only one option left to us.'**

… He didn't have to tell Hiccup what it was.

"Dagur: I'm not going to let you kill that dragon," Hiccup said – while Dagur was still trying to find a clear shot…

Dagur sighed in exasperation, "Fine: You saw it first… You can take home – a wing, or something."

"Actually, I plan on taking the whole thing." Hiccup took a deep breath, and let out a flawless Night- Fury call…

Before Hiccup's call had faded to silence, Toothless had leapt to the top of the rocky outcropping – and answered Hiccup's call, with his own…

Then – in a single leap, Toothless launched himself from the top of the outcropping, and landed next to Hiccup…

For a moment, Dagur was in shock: His mind struggling to process the most recent turn of events, he managed to say, "Is that a…"

"Saddle," Hiccup finished. "Yes, Dagur: That's exactly what it is."

The shock in Dagur's eyes quickly turned into anger, "So I was…"

"Right – All along," Hiccup confirmed – climbing into Toothless's saddle as he spoke. "We do not kill dragons on Berk: We ride them."

"Your father lied to me – _You_ lied to me!"

"We were trying to keep the peace between our tribes," Hiccup corrected.

"By making a fool of_ me_?"

"You… don't really need a lot of help with that," Hiccup commented.

"You could have been my brother, Hiccup," Dagur began – then his eyes narrowed, "But now, you're my enemy!"

"Have it your way," Hiccup shrugged. "But remember this, Dagur: We have the dragons, and we're not afraid to use them." Toothless punctuated the end of Hiccup's sentence with a deep, echoing growl, then Toothless took off – and began to rise into the sky…

Glancing back, he saw Dagur pluck something from his belt – in preparation to hurl it at them…

In the distance – but drawing closer by the second, he saw Astrid, Fishlegs, and the twins – All of whom were sitting on their respective dragons!

Knowing he had only seconds, he yanked his shield off his arm, and pressed one of the small levers – concealed inside…

Immediately, the shield split along the center – from top to bottom, and the mechanism of a crossbow clicked into place! Plucking several arrows from his quiver, he shot them – one after another, at Dagur: Forcing the latter to take cover…

By the time Dagur again got to his feet, Hiccup and Toothless were out of range…

Before Dagur's enraged bellow had faded into silence, Hiccup and Toothless had rejoined their friends – who were busy complimenting the new 'toy' that Hiccup had developed…

Once Hiccup told them about the Berserker fleet, however, they decided that now would be a good time to go.

They dragons turned in the direction of Berk: They were going home.

**_To be continued…_**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Secret of the Frightmare**

**Part One – Arvendole's Fire**

_Flashback – Ten years earlier…_

_ The evening sky had filled with a ghostly blue light – as it did only once every ten years. Normally, such a sight would have enthralled all who witnessed it, but on the island of Berk, it heralded the arrival of a terrifying creature – One that had nearly destroyed Berk, the last time it had appeared: The…._

_"The Frightmare is here! The Frightmare is here! – Barricade yourself in the safety of your homes: The Frightmare is…"_

_ Most people heeded the warning the moment they heard it, with the exception of a grown Viking – 'Fearless Finn' Hofferson, and his niece – Astrid… a mere child, both of whom made their way toward the part of the village where the shouts were coming from… – That is, until 'Fearless Finn' noticed that he wasn't alone…_

_ "Oh, no you don't, Astrid," He said – turning back to face her, his expression firm. "This is not a battle for you…" He placed a hand on his niece's shoulder at the same moment that another roar sounded – from the direction they were headed it. Turning back to Astrid, Finn added, "Not yet, anyway." He made to continue in the direction they'd been going – but before he left, he added, "Now you wait here: Your Uncle Finn is just going to make sure that nasty dragon doesn't destroy Berk again."_

_ Astrid did as she was told, so she didn't see what had happened, but she heard the shout, a moment later: Her uncle – 'Fearless Finn' Hofferson – had 'frozen' in apparent fear, and the Frightmare had finished him off…_

_ Astrid made to go after the Frightmare herself, but Gobber had stopped her, "It's going to take a lot more than that wee axe, Astrid." – She knew he was right, but she swore to herself that she would not forget this: The next time the Frightmare returned to Berk, it would wish it had _never _set eyes on the island – She'd make sure of it…_

_Present day…_

Astrid had been at the dragon- training arena for hours, now – hacking apart every target- dummy she could find…

"I think you got them… All of them," Hiccup commented – once he and Toothless had entered the arena, and surveyed the carnage they'd walked into the middle of…

Astrid jumped… She'd been so focused on what she'd been doing, that she hadn't heard them enter. Seeing Hiccup, she relaxed – slightly…

Joining her in the center of the arena, Hiccup asked, "How long have you been here?"

Astrid sighed, "Since this morning… The Frightmare's probably on its way right now, and I'm going to be ready for it."

Snotlout – who'd just walked into the arena, snorted, "You're wasting your time: When the Frightmare comes, the Hoffersons freeze: Just ask 'Frozen- Finn' Hofferson – Right, Astrid? I mean, you are a…"

A split second later, the blade of Astrid's axe embedded itself in the wall of the arena: Less than a foot from Snotlout's nose…

Fortunately for Snotlout, Hiccup stepped in, "Ok, ok… Lets all just take a deep breath." He was speaking to her – Astrid knew, but he was also glaring at Snotlout: This made it _a little_ easier for her to calm down…

Without a word to Snotlout, she retrieved her axe from the arena wall, and stalked out – followed by Stormfly. A moment later, Hiccup and Toothless followed them…

_Soon afterwards…_

The four of them stopped at the edge of the cliff – overlooking the ocean. For several minutes, nobody spoke.

Finally, Astrid said, "Does he think it's some kind of joke?"

Hiccup knew she was talking about Snotlout. "Astrid, Forget what Snotlout said… Your Uncle faced a dragon we know almost- nothing about, and it takes a lot of courage to face the unknown: There has to be more to the Frightmare than meets the eye – That's the only explanation that makes sense... Forget what other people might say: Your Uncle was _not_ a coward."

Hiccup could see Astrid relax – slightly, though several more minutes passed before Astrid said, "Are you going to try to stop me?" When Hiccup raised an eyebrow – in a silent question, she added, "From facing the Frightmare… Are you going to stop me?"

Hiccup turned to face her, "No."

Seeing the surprise on Astrid's face, Hiccup continued, "You feel like you need to prove yourself, and I know that feeling – I've lived with it for most of my life. I won't stop you: As long as you let me help… Besides: If you're going up against the Frightmare, you'll need both speed and stealth… – As in 'Night- Fury speed and stealth'." Hiccup paused – tilting his head towards where Toothless was standing… "Deal?"

Astrid was stunned: It was more than she'd been hoping for… She smiled, and nodded, "Deal."

"Good." Somewhat to her surprise, Hiccup got to his feet. Then he added, "We should go talk to Fishlegs: I asked him to read- up on the Frightmare – See if he could find anything useful."

_Mid-afternoon – Outside, near the Great Hall…_

Hiccup and Astrid had almost made it to the Great Hall, when they heard Fishlegs calling out to them… "There you are, Hiccup! I did the research on the Frightmare you asked for!"

Fishlegs was hurrying over to them – several scrolls clutched in one hand…

"Well, this is convenient," Hiccup commented – as they made their over to where Fishlegs stood.

Once Fishlegs had caught his breath, he continued, "I've got the Frightmare's route right here…" As he spoke, Fishlegs unrolled one of the scrolls – revealing a map… "For generations, the Frightmare has gone through the Northern Swamp on its way to the village! – Same route, every time! … If I could only figure out why we might be able to stop it…"

Pleased, Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look. Then Hiccup turned back to Fishlegs, "Great work, Fishlegs! Why don't you see if you can figure that out? – In the meantime, we'll see if we can find the Frightmare before it reaches town."

"On it!" Fishlegs hurried off in the direction he'd come from.

As he did, Hiccup and Astrid mounted Toothless, and the Night- Fury took- off…

**Part Two – The Frightmare**

_Sunset – The village of Berk…_

As the sky began to glow with the first traces of Arvendole's Fire, Gobber – who was keeping watch, began shouting: Arvendole's Fire is here! Get in your homes and stay inside!"

Immediately, the familiar wave of chaos descended on the villagers – just as the Frightmare itself would have…

_Meanwhile – Over the Northern- Swamps…_

"Ok, Lets just get one thing straight: We are going to _observe_ the Frightmare; See what we can learn about it, and Try to redirect it. If that doesn't work, we fall- back to town and get help: Ok?"

"Sure," Astrid answered immediately – from where she sat, behind Hiccup. This answer immediately sent up a red- flag in Hiccup's mind, and he rolled his eyes, "Say the words 'I understand, Hiccup.'"

Now it was Astrid's turn to roll her eyes, "Fine: 'I understand, Hiccup."

"Well that just instills me with confidence," Hiccup muttered – 'a little' sarcastically.

There wasn't time to discuss the matter, because – from beyond the crest of a hill just ahead of them, the glowing dragon rose into view…

A wave of blinding light made the three of them wince, and cover their eyes. Toothless dropped towards a small clearing – hovering perhaps ten feet above the ground…

"Well – It certainly lives up to the hype…" An instant later, he felt Astrid let go of his waist, and saw her drop to the ground… "Astrid! – What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Astrid called back. "Defending Berk – and my Family- Honor!" With that, she unslung her axe from where it hung, and turned in the direction of the Frightmare…

Once the glowing dragon had come within hearing distance, Astrid raised her voice, "Leave Berk now, and never come back! Here I am, ungodly beast – 'Fearless Astrid' Hofferson: Come and get me if you dare!"

As Toothless came around, Hiccup glanced back just in time to see the Frightmare breathe a cloud of mist at Astrid…

Astrid swung her axe, then – as the mist settled around her, her axe dropped from her hands… She remained standing, but was otherwise motionless…

Hiccup shouted "ASTRID!" – The Frightmare shot towards Astrid, but Toothless forced it to withdraw…

Toothless set- down next to Astrid, **'Get her!' **

In the scant seconds they had before the Frightmare attacked again, Hiccup hurriedly pulled Astrid back onto Toothless's back, and the black- dragon again took- off – Rising into the dark clouds, above…

Once it saw that its target had escaped, the Frightmare took off.

After it had vanished from sight, Hiccup turned his attention back to Astrid… He shook her a few times, and – finally, she came out of her daze…

"What… What happened?" Astrid asked, once she'd fully recovered.

"The Frightmare: It… It sprayed you with some kind of mist… It paralyzed you."

Astrid's face paled, "It 'froze' me."

Hiccup hesitated, and nodded, "But the good news is that the effects are only temporary: Just long enough for the Frightmare to strike."

"I knew my uncle wasn't scared of that dragon: He was paralyzed by it." There was a moment of silence, then, "So, what now? … Back to Berk?" – She sounded… Defeated: Sure that she'd messed- up her chance to face the Frightmare…

"No," Hiccup told her, "We're following the Frightmare: We are the only thing standing between that dragon and Berk…"

"Yes!" Her enthusiasm restored, Astrid pumped a fist into the air, as she spoke.

Hiccup returned his attention to the sky ahead, as Toothless shot forwards – after the Frightmare…

They shot over the next ridge, and… "What in the name of Thor?" – The River ahead of them was _glowing_ bright- blue…

With all of his considerable stealth, Toothless shot forwards... Landing next to the stream, and Hiccup and Astrid dismounted and approached the river on foot…

"It's glowing algae," Hiccup said – after picking up some of the stuff from the river. "The glow must be some sort of… reaction to Arvendole's Fire." He was silent for a moment, then… "This must be what the Frightmare is following… This is why it always takes the same route into Berk!"

Astrid thought about it for a moment, but "I'm… Not getting it."

Hiccup thought for a moment, "You ever try to get between Snotlout and a bowl of mutton?"

"Yeah: That's something you only do once." – A sudden noise off to one side made them duck behind a nearby boulder: The Frightmare had settled next to the river, and begun to eat the glowing algae…

Suddenly Astrid understood, "I get it: The Frightmare thinks we want its food!" – Hiccup nodded, clearly pleased, and Astrid found herself trying not to blush…

Hiccup continued to speak, "Exactly: It attacks because it sees us as a threat to its very survival!"

Suddenly, the Frightmare turned in their direction, and roared: Spinning around, they saw Toothless – standing by the river, and eating some of the algae… A moment later, the black- dragon began to glow purple…

Hiccup and Astrid hurried to remount Toothless. As they did, Astrid said, "This is bad: We won't be able to hide in the clouds with Toothless glowing like this!

By now, they were in the air – and the Frightmare was close behind them…

"What are we going to do?" Astrid asked – as they flew.

"Fishlegs!"

Hiccup's answer surprised her, "Fishlegs? – How's he going to help?"

"By bringing you some reinforcements!" Fishlegs chimed in.

And – flying just behind Fishlegs and Meatlug, flew… "Stormfly!" Astrid cried out in relief, as her Deadly- Nadder drew- up alongside Toothless, and Astrid jumped across into the empty saddle on her dragon's back…

Their plan took a moment to take- form in Hiccup's mind, but finally he said, "Fishlegs, you and I need to create a new path for the river: If the flow of algae leads away from the village, we'll never have to worry about the Frightmare again! – Astrid: We'll need you and Stormfly to keep the Frightmare busy!"

Astrid shot Hiccup a confident grin, and nodded, "Leave it to us! – Come- on, Stormfly!"

It wasn't easy, but they got it done: Once the Frightmare noticed the new path of the river, it broke- away from Stormfly, and shot off in the new direction – without so much as a backwards glance…

**Part Three – Aftermath…**

When they returned to the village, they found Stoick and Gobber – who'd been keeping watch for the Frightmare.

When Hiccup told them that the Frightmare had been driven- away, he didn't ask for confirmation, or details. Instead he turned around and – shouting loudly enough for the villagers to hear, said, "EVERYONE: YOU CAN COME OUT OF YOUR HOMES! THE FRIGHTMARE ID GONE FOR GOOD!"

Gradually, doors began to open, and the people began to gather…

When the majority of the villagers had gathered before them, Hiccup spoke- up, "Excuse me: I have an announcement to make…" Silence fell, and he continued… "We learned a lot about the Frightmare tonight, and – I'll explain it all to you, but the most important thing we learned, was that 'Fearless Finn' Hofferson…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Hiccup could see Astrid's face fall… Her eyes seemed to ask '_Why? – Why bring that up_?'

"… Was indeed fearless: Just like all the Hoffersons." – The crowd began murmuring among themselves, talking about how they'd "never really believed" that 'Fearless Finn' had frozen in fear…

Glancing back, Hiccup saw silent- gratitude in Astrid's face – as she realized what Hiccup had just done: Since the 'Battle of the Red- Death', Hiccup's word had come to hold considerably more weight.

Their triumphant return had _cleared_ Astrid's Family- Name, but Hiccup had _restored_ it: Ensuring that – from now on, the courage of '_Fearless_ Finn' Hofferson would never again be in doubt…

Gobber came to stand next to Astrid, "Sounds like you did your uncle proud, lass."

"Yes: _You_ did," Hiccup agreed – placing a hand on Astrid's shoulder as he spoke. And, as he did, a great weight seemed to lift from Astrid's shoulders…

"Now maybe we can just enjoy Arvendole's Fire," Stoick commented. When Stoick glanced back, and saw Hiccup with a hand on Astrid's shoulder, Hiccup could have sworn that he saw a gleam in his father's eye... (Hiccup put it out of his mind, though – for now.)

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3

**What Lurks Beneath…**

_Two weeks earlier __– Outcast Island..._ (While Hiccup and the Night- Furies discussed the terms for their alliance...)

_ Alvin The Treacherous was in a particularly foul mood: He had had _twelve_ men on dragons: Twelve! Believing the odds to be very much in their favor, they had pursued Hiccup, and those friends of his… _

_Then – out of nowhere, they'd been besieged by what must have been close to twenty Night- Furies... _Twenty_ Night- Furies! – As though one hadn't been bad enough!_

_Alvin had spent hours thinking: Plotting his next move. _

_His men knew better than to interrupt him, so he was able to think long and hard __– until he'd decided on a course of action: __He had his men fill several crates with Whispering- Death eggs, and load them onto the smallest of his boats._

_That night, they would return to Berk: One boat, with only ten men on board…_

_That night..._

_ They had reached the cave on the far side of the island without being spotted, and spread the eggs out inside – so each could hatch without damaging the others. __Once they had finished, they returned to the boat, and set off on the return- trip to Outcast Island._

_As the island began to fade from view, a thought continued to nag at Alvin: It had been easy… Maybe _too _easy…_

_He pushed the thought away, and forced a chuckle: There was no way the people of Berk could have known!_

_Two days later – In the cave, on Berk…_

Four Night- Furies were gathered in the cave – examining the crates that the Outcasts had left behind…

FIRST: **_'… The Outcasts' Crest: This is Alvin's work.'_**

SECOND: **_'{Snort} Of course it is: If even half of what the humans said of him is true, such a low- tactic _****_would_****_ appeal to him.'_**

THIRD: **_'We should tell the humans: These eggs must be removed before they hatch.'_**

FIRST: **_'Yes… The humans should be informed – Of that one in particular.'_** As the dragon spoke, he nodded towards an unusually- large Whispering- Death egg…

FOURTH: **_'That Alvin would dare to put a 'Screamer' here… It is unacceptable.'_**

SECOND: **'****_We should also keep watch on this cave: Alvin may return to check on the eggs.'_**

The third Night- Fury opened his mouth in a grin – as he unsheathed his teeth, **_'If he does, he will wish he hadn't.'_**

By noon the following day, the Whispering- Death eggs had been loaded into new crates, and flown back to the 'island' that their species called home.

The larger egg, and the crates that the Outcasts had used, had been left untouched – for now. And the Night- Furies had set their trap…

The ease with which Alvin's latest plot had been both detected and neutralized had both amazed and delighted the villagers… It felt good to be one step ahead of Alvin, for a change.

**_Present day…_**

The Berk Riders and their dragons were taking turns showing- off the various rescue- skills – which they'd been practicing with their respective dragons, over the course of the four days.

Snotlout's task was pretty straight- forward: Retrieve the victim- dummy from the rowboat at the base of the sea- stack where the rest of them were gathered.

At first, it seemed to go well: Hookfang dove from the cliff top, snatched up the dummy, and began to rise up into the air…

"I hate to admit it, but Snotlout actually looks like he's worked on his rescue training," Hiccup commented.

Which was when things started to go wrong: Hookfang shot up, around, and down – into the ocean below…

"Lets… not get ahead of ourselves." Astrid said, from where she sat on Stormfly's back. She shot Hiccup a grin, which he returned – a little ruefully.

A moment later, Hookfang shot out of the ocean, and landed next to the other dragons. Snotlout held up the dummy, and said, "There: Another victim saved." … The moment the words were out of his mouth, the dummy's' head fell off, and Snotlout let out a yelp.

Fishlegs snorted, "Well, you got the 'victim' part right."

Snotlout scowled, "Big deal: So his head fell- off… It's not like he's on fire."

At the word 'fire', Hookfang's eyes brightened, and he shot a column of fire at the dummy, and then leapt forward to put out the flame with one of his clawed- feet…

When Hookfang and Snotlout turned to face the others, Snotlout was wide- eyed and silent. He and the other riders looked first at the _burned, shredded, and headless_ dummy, than at each other…

After a minute, Fishlegs looked as though he was about to speak, when Snotlout interrupted with "Shut- up, Fishlegs."

Astrid was next to show her rescue skill. She started at the base of the cliff where the others were gathered. As she climbed, Stormfly would launch spikes from her tail into the cliff side – to form handholds. In that fashion, rider and dragon made their way to the top of the cliff...

The first thing she heard on reaching the top was Hiccup saying, "Great work, Astrid!"

The second thing was – of course, Snotlout. "'Great work'? Try lame work: Hello? Flying- dragon? … Might be a little faster to get to the top of the sea- stack!"

"What if your victim is trapped on the side of a cliff and your dragon can't get you close enough? – You ever think of that?" Astrid felt a little irritated, but managed not to show it.

Snotlout responded immediately, "Yes! … No … Shut- up, Astrid."

Fishlegs and Meatlug were up next. Once the brown dragon had gained the necessary height, Fishlegs called down, "I call this the 'Stop, Drop…"

Meatlug plunged towards the ground – directly at Snotlout and Hookfang: The Monstrous Nightmare lunged out of the way, but Snotlout fell- off... landing on his back: He saw the Gronkle falling towards him, and shut his eyes – waiting for the inevitable…

"… And Hover." Fishlegs finished, as Meatlug came to a stop – mere feet above Snotlout…

"I like it, Fishlegs," Hiccup commented, as Astrid nodded. (– The effectiveness of Fishlegs's distraction- strategy being evident in Snotlout's reaction to it.)

Naturally, Snotlout had to comment on this, "Oh, come on: That wasn't rescuing, that was falling!"

"Actually, _this_ is falling…" Fishlegs corrected, and Meatlug dropped the remaining few feet – flattening Snotlout...

Snotlout called to Hookfang – asking for help: Instead, Hookfang took flight… Vanishing from view, a few minutes later.

When it was the twins' turn, they sat forward in their saddles and… Did absolutely nothing. When asked, Tuffnut said that "Our rescue- skill is not falling off of the sea- stack: That way, no actual rescue is necessary!"

"Ta- da!" As she spoke, Ruff flung her arms out to either side, knocked her brother out of his saddle, off the sea- stack, and into the ocean below…

Seeing what she'd done, Ruff shrugged and added, "We're… still working- out the kinks."

Finally, it was Hiccup and Toothless's turn. Once they'd set- up their targets, and were in position, Hiccup said, "Barrel- roll… Multiple- blast!"

Toothless launched himself into a sideways roll, launching three plasma- blasts as he went: All three hit their targets…

Hiccup and Toothless rejoined the others. _Most _of them were impressed by the maneuver – except, of course, for…

"Stop 'oohing'! – That's not even a rescue- skill!" - Snotlout

"Of course it is!" Fishlegs interjected, "You always need cover- fire in a rescue: Everyone knows that… Very impressive, Hiccup."

But Snotlout wasn't about to back- down, "Hey, Fishlegs, you need some help getting your nose out of Hiccup's…"

"SNOTLOUT!" Hiccup started, but Fishlegs spoke- up, "It's ok, Hiccup: He's just mad because he was dead- last in the rescue- competition… As usual."

"Uh, guys: This isn't a competition…" Hiccup said.

"Uh, yes it is." Tuff countered.

"You know…" Ruff began – gesturing with both hands as she spoke, "'… They say that competition is the very essence of life itself.'"

This was followed a long moment of silence – As the others stared at Ruffnut in stunned disbelief…

Finally, Astrid said, "It's true… Weird that she said it like that, but… It's true: It's always a competition."

"We are a team: Everyone has a role… No one person is better, or more important, than another." Hiccup said – and he meant it.

This was followed by another pause, than the others burst out laughing.

Finally, Snotlout said, "You don't really buy that, do you?"

"I… do, actually," Hiccup replied, and Toothless nodded as well – though he didn't 'speak'.

Snotlout said, "You want to know what I think?" –– The response what a single unified 'No' from each of the other riders. But – undaunted, Snotlout said, "I think that we'll never know who the best dragon- trainer is because we don't have a level playing- field."

Fishlegs looked thoughtful, "Hang on a second… What if we did have a level playing field? What it we could prove – once and for all, who's got the skills and who doesn't?"

"Trust me, Fishlegs: You don't want that." (Snotlout – naturally.)

"Oh, I think I do… And I know just the thing!"

They remounted their dragons – Snotlout had to catch a ride with the twins, and the dragons took flight: Bound for the Dragon Training Academy.

The others flew a little ways ahead, but Stormfly and Toothless hung- back – keeping pace with each other…

After a few minutes, Astrid asked, "You really mean what you said: About everyone having their own role… Don't you?"

Before Hiccup could answer, Toothless 'said', **'****_It is the truth: As individuals, we each possess unique skill- sets that can be crucial to the survival of the group.' _**_Toothless paused for a moment, then continued… __**'Within my colony, for example, there are those like the five who witnessed our abduction; who can remain so still for so long, that – even if you looked directly at them for hours at a time, they would appear as shadows. Others, however, are too full of energy to manage such a feat**_**.'**

**'****_Fly–ing in form–ation_****,' **Stormfly offered. **'****_Less fighting the winds: Tire more slowly_****.'**

Astrid thought about it for a moment, then grinned, "I get it: 'United we stand'."

"Or 'fly'," Hiccup amended, grinning at her. "Now lets go: We're falling behind."

_An hour later – In the Dragon- Training Arena…_

Once the six riders and their dragons had landed in the training- arena, Fishlegs had hurried away – tossing a 'Be right back' over one shoulder…

When he returned, Fishlegs was carrying a large wooden box which – when opened, was shown to contain five Terrible- Terrors. Fishlegs wasted no time in explaining his idea…

"We each choose a Terrible Terror, and have a day to train it. And then we'll find out who's best."

There was some further discussion – as Fishlegs, Snotlout, each of the twins, and Astrid selected a Terrible- Terror.

Hiccup, it was decided, would judge the 'competition' _– _instead of taking part in it. (It was pretty clear Hiccup's bond with dragons _in general_ wasn't really something they could 'factor- out' of _these_ results.)

During that discussion, it occurred to Astrid that this was 'probably' one of the reasons why Hiccup would always try to discourage dragon- training competitions: He knew his 'bond' with Toothless gave him an advantage... And then there was Hiccup's experience during the Thawfest Games: When _his_ rivalry with Snotlout rose to the surface... It wasn't the idea of a 'competition' that bothered Hiccup _– _Astrid realized: It was the danger it could so easily pose to their functioning as a team, and the ease with which it could overtake even him...

After the others had chosen their Terrible Terrors, they made to go their separate ways. Finally, the only ones left in the arena were Hiccup and Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly, and their respective Terrors…

"Remember: Not a competition!" Hiccup called after the others, before they could get out of earshot – though he doubted they were even listening.

Once the others had left, Astrid made her way over to where Hiccup and Toothless were standing. Seeing her, Hiccup said, "This is really going to go bad in a hurry."

"Hiccup," Astrid said – as she reached them, "Try not to get too worried about this: Just… See what everyone comes up with, and pick the one you like most." She smiled, easily and _– _wanting to help, added, "I won't take it personally if you pick one of theirs as the winner."

Hiccup smiled, "If you keep to your usual standards, you'll have a good shot at winning in any case…" He sighed, "I'm a little worried about Meatlug: She and Fishlegs are close, and the way Fishlegs and Snotlout are obsessing about winning... It can be so easy to lose perspective on things: Like I did during the Thawfest Games…" Hiccup's sentence drifted off.

Then he smiled, "Speaking of the Games, I don't think I ever thanked you for snapping me out of my Thawfest- medal obsession."

Astrid felt her face redden... just a little, "It was nothing…"

Hiccup shook his head, "No… It wasn't 'nothing': Years of not winning a single event and suddenly winning enough to make it to a tie- breaker? … I was acting like Snotlout, and that's not the kind of person I want be - Ever… So: Thanks."

Astrid spoke without thinking... "Anytime."

Hiccup laughed and – after realizing what she'd just said, Astrid had to join in.

A few minutes later, they parted ways: Astrid to train her Terrible Terror, Hiccup and Toothless to keep Meatlug company – while Fishlegs got ready for the competition…

(Meatlug was – as you might expect, glad for the company.)

_That night – In an 'empty' tunnel underneath Berk…_

It had been close to two weeks since last they'd visited the cave, so Alvin was pleased to see that the crates they'd left had remained undisturbed.

That feeling quickly turned to anger and disbelief when he saw that all but one of the eggs – the largest of them, was _gone_. Not hatched, or waiting to hatch – either of which would have been acceptable, but _gone_!

A moment later, one of his men said, "Alvin… That stalactite's watching me!"

Alvin wasn't in the mood for nonsense, "Stalactites don't have eyes you dimwitted…"

Suddenly Savage – who'd been looking around the tunnel, cut- in, "Wait a minute, Alvin… There _shouldn't be any _stalagmites _or_ stalactites in this part of the tunnel! ... There weren't before!"

That was when the _ten Night- Furies_ opened their wings – and those who'd been hanging from the ceiling dropped to the floor…

The cave filled with flashes of blue light as the Night- Furies first reduced the empty crates the Outcasts had left to kindling, before turning their attention to the Outcasts themselves.

Unlike their last trip, Alvin had brought twenty- men, and a larger and better- armed boat – on the off- chance that they had to 'Protect their investment'... Not that it did any good.

All of Alvin's men lost their shields; which were useless – anyways, once the first plasma- bolt had punched through them, and many of them had also lost their swords/ axes…

It was – Alvin was forced to admit, another failed mission: "FALL- BACK! FALL- BACK!"

Eight of their party had been knocked- unconscious, by this point – blasted into the cavern wall by the force of the Night- Furies' plasma- blasts: His remaining men had to drag them back to the beach, and this, of course, slowed them...

By the time their group had retreated to the boat, the catapults were in ruin, the main- sail had four large slashes running from top to bottom – which meant they'd have to _row _all the way home…

Alvin would have cursed the Night- Furies with the blackest oaths he knew… but he was too angry to find the words.

_The following afternoon – Inside the Dragon- Training Arena…_

It was time to see the results of their one days' worth of training…

Astrid started things off. She walked into the center of the arena, turned to face the others, lifting her arms to shoulder height as she did, and said, "So… What do you think?"

"What do we think of what?" Snotlout asked.

"My dragon's stealth- skills," Astrid replied.

Snotlout snorted, "Right… His skill's so stupid he didn't even show up."

Astrid smirked, "Or did he?"

Snotlout was about to say something else, when a warbling sound made him look up...

Astrid's Terrible Terror was sitting on top of his helmet. A moment later, he'd leapt onto Ruffnut's helmet – and Ruffnut only noticed when her brother turned to her, looked up, and said, "Wow: He is good!

Ruff and Tuff's dragons did exactly what you might expect – Sort- of…

"They'll run into each other and butt heads?" Astrid guessed – before the twins finished getting their dragons into position…

A moment later, the twins' two Terrors _flew_ into each other and butted heads… Which, as far as the twins were concerned, was "totally different."

Next was Fishlegs and, Hiccup had to admit, he'd done pretty well: Fishlegs had assembled a collection of items – an apple, a sword, a bucket, and so on. He'd also drawn each of the items he'd assembled onto a sheet of parchment.

Selecting a card from the stack, he showed his Terror the sketch of the apple, and said, "Iggy: Bring me this." – The Terrible Terror flew over to the line of items, snatched up the apple without a moments hesitation, and deposited it in Fishlegs' hand.

When Snotlout scoffed, Fishlegs said he could pick a card himself – if he wanted. Snotlout did, and the result was… Similar: Only the bucket – depicted on the card Snotlout had chosen, ended- up upside-down, on Snotlout's head…

When Snotlout still appeared unimpressed, Fishlegs said, "Oh, and what does _your_ Terrible Terror do?"

"This," Snotlout said, opening a wooded box, as he spoke. Immediately, the dragon shot out, and latched onto Snotlout's left- leg. (Which was, if nothing else, a change from the previous day… When the dragon had latched onto Snotlout's left arm.)

Trying not to laugh, Fishlegs said, "Let me get this straight: You trained your Terror to _bite you_…"

Wincing as he spoke, Snotlout said, "Try to pry him lose – I dare you: It took Gobber all day, yesterday, to pry him off of this leg." As he spoke, he gestured to a bandage on his other leg – which he was currently hopping around on…

Then the five of them turned, expectantly, to Hiccup...

Hiccup started with the twins, "Ruff and Tuff… Last I checked, butting heads doesn't 'really' qualify as a 'useful skill', so… Fourth place – Since the two of you worked together."

Then he moved on to Snotlout, "Snotlout: Your dragon did almost exactly the same thing as it did yesterday, which… doesn't really show much – or… any – sign of training. So… Third- place." –– Snotlout scowled, but he couldn't pretend to _not_ see Hiccup's reasoning… (And he _didn't_ come in last – for whatever that was worth…)

Next Hiccup turned to Fishlegs, "Fishlegs: I've got to say, I'm impressed. Original, useful: There's definitely potential there… Second place." Fishlegs seemed reasonably content with that (– especially since he'd won a little… 'Side- bet' he'd made with Snotlout).

Finally, Hiccup turned to Astrid – who was beaming. "Astrid… That was _impressive_. In a single day, you were able to: connect with a Terrible- Terror you'd just met, and teach him the skill you'd selected – and without having to use any verbal commands… First place: Nice work!"

Nobody argued with him – there were no accusations of bias: The reasons Hiccup had given were clear, and fair. (Snotlout grumbled of course, though it was mostly 'Stupid Fishlegs', 'Stupid Terrible- Terror', and most of all: 'Stupid bet'.)

Soon afterwards, they made their way to the Great Hall for supper – only just now realizing the time, and how hungry they were.

_On returning to the village_…

Even before the dragons' claws touched the ground, they could tell that something was wrong. There was a crowd of people, and several Night- Furies, were gathered in the center of the village – their attention focused on something that Hiccup and the others couldn't see…

When they had drawn nearer, people moved aside for them, and they saw it…

The crate that had been found to transport the Screaming- Death egg off of Berk sat in front of them... But, instead of an intact egg, it held only shell- fragments.

Before any of the new- arrivals could speak, one of the Night- Furies – a female, 'said', **_'The 'Screamer' hatched just as we were returning to the cave, so we had little trouble in… 'Convincing' it to leave.'_** She paused for a moment, than added, **'… But, that doesn't mean it will stay away: It may seek to claim this island and its territory…'**

_**To be continued...**_


	4. Chapter 4

**The Screaming Death**

_Three weeks later…_

Hiccup and Astrid were sitting on the backs of their respective dragons – which, in turn, were hovering several hundred feet above Sorrow Island.

Hiccup checked his map, then turned back to Astrid, "Ok… These Nadders get tagged yellow: That's how we'll know they belong on Sorrow Island." As he spoke, he 'tagged' the two dragons nearest to him and Toothless.

"Like this?" Astrid asked, lobbing two 'packs' of yellow paint at the two wild- dragons nearest to her and Stormfly. (Both of which hit their marks.)

She 'tagged' two more dragons, than turned back to Hiccup – grinning, "Feel free to join- in, anytime!"

She aimed at a third wild- dragon, missed, and the wild- dragon took- off…

Toothless launched himself back into the air, and shot after the fleeing dragon. As they streaked past Astrid and Stormfly, Hiccup called, "How about now?"

The fleeing Nadder wove around a collection of sea- stacks, but – in the end, there was no way for it to evade Toothless…

At one point, the wild- dragon glanced back to see open- sky. Appearing pleased with itself, it turned its attention back to sky ahead… Just in time to see Hiccup loading his paint- pack into his shields' built- in catapult: A second later, it too had been 'tagged'.

In the meantime, Astrid and Stormfly had caught up. Grinning, again, Astrid called over, "Ok, I have to admit: The shield is pretty cool."

"Why thank- you: I quite like it, too." As Hiccup spoke, he smiled at Astrid, and made a seated- bow in her direction.

Working together, it took only a few more minutes for them to 'tag' the remaining wild- dragons that had made their home Sorrow Island.

Once they had, Hiccup said, "We should go check on the twins: They're supposed to be marking the Crescent Island dragons."

"I'm sure _that's_ going _really well_," Astrid commented. She sounded… Disappointed. Hiccup noticed, and shot her a questioning look.

Astrid elaborated, "Every time we split- up, I get stuck with either Snotlout or the twins… _We_ almost- never go on missions ourselves."

Hiccup gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry about that… Thing is, you're the only one I can _fully_- rely on in those situations: Fishlegs is smart – but he doesn't do too well under pressure, and I don't even want to _think_ about what would happen if I put Snotlout or the twins in-charge…"

Astrid felt her spirits rise: She thought it would be something like this, but it felt good to hear Hiccup say it…

Together, they turned their dragons in the direction on Crescent Island.

_Shortly – On Crescent Island_…

The scene was… Pretty much what Hiccup had expected, when he, Astrid, and their dragons finally found the twins: Purple paint on themselves, and on pretty much everything else _except_ the dragons of Crescent Island.

After having to dodge two paint- packs himself, Hiccup turned to Ruff and Tuff, "Guys: You're supposed to be tagging _the dragons_… Not _each other_." Then _– _speaking so only Astrid could hear, Hiccup added, "Though I suppose I should've expected this."

Astrid would've laughed, but then she noticed something, "Hiccup… Isn't it supposed to be just one dragon- colour per island?"

Hiccup nodded, "Yeah… Why?"

Astrid pointed to the dragons she'd just spotted, "I see _two_ colours down there." Hiccup turned in the direction she was pointing. "… Could we have been using the wrong one?"

Hiccup frowned, "I don't think so… I'd better ask Fishlegs."

Astrid raised an eyebrow, "You're going to fly all the way back to Berk?"

"Nope: Don't have to," Hiccup replied – pulling a sheet of parchment, a quill, and scribbling a note as he spoke. "Fishlegs and I have been working on something new…" He reached down, and picked up the Terrible Terror that he'd brought with them when they left Berk. He slid the scroll into a case that had been tied to the small dragon's leg, "We call it: 'Air- Mail'."

"Do you really think _that_ Terrible Terror is going to fly all the way back to Berk?" Astrid asked – incredulously.

Hiccup nodded, "Yep... And right to the Academy: Terrors' are especially territorial, so it's a natural instinct for them to return home from wherever they happen to be."

The Terrible Terror took off... Vanishing from sight, a few moments later.

"And how will we know if he made it?" Astrid asked, as she and Hiccup walked over to where their dragons waited. (From her expression, Hiccup could tell that she still didn't quite believe that this would work.)

"When Fishlegs and Snotlout meet us on Dragon Island," Hiccup replied – as he settled into Toothless's saddle.

Astrid raised an eyebrow, "If that happens, I'll kiss Snotlout on the lips."

Hiccup turned to her, "Uh, Astrid… I trained this Terror myself, so…"

Astrid's eyes widened, "Ok, scratch that: 'I'll believe it when I see it'."

_Later – Dragon Island_...

Sure enough, Fishlegs and Snotlout were waiting for them. Fishlegs came forward to meet them, "Hiccup, I got your message: I knew 'air- mail' would work! So what's the emergency?"

"We've seen dragons painted green on Crescent Island." Hiccup explained. "Does that make any sense to you?"

"That's your emergency?" Snotlout snorted. "I was in the middle of something very important."

Fishlegs rolled his eyes, "You were sound asleep." Turning back to Hiccup, he continued, "No… They shouldn't be: The green dragons belong on Tall- Tree Island – That's where I tagged them."

"We need to figure this out," Hiccup decided. "Lets check out Tall- Tree Island."

"Great: I was wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my day!" He jumped into Hookfang's saddle, and the dragon took off… "See you back on Berk, suckers!"

A moment later, Hookfang and Snotlout vanished from view…

_Almost two hours later_...

"I don't understand: We should be there by now…" Hiccup said - breaking the silence.

"Maybe we're off- course?" Astrid suggested.

Fishlegs looked offended, "I don't '_do_' off- course, Astrid."

"Even if we were off- course, we should still be able to see the island from here," Hiccup commented.

"Well… An island can't just disappear," Astrid said.

"Earthquake, maybe…" Fishlegs suggested. "… Volcano, Wrath of Thor, Wrath of Odin…?"

The other two looked at him for a long moment. "What? I'm just throwing out possible explanations!"

"None of that explains this!" said Astrid – pointing ahead of them, as the three wild- dragons that were heading in the opposite direction… "Orange!" Astrid called, when she spotted the blotch of paint that marked the dragons' backs.

"Burnt apricot, actually," Fishlegs corrected. (Astrid simply rolled her eyes, at this.)

Hiccup checked his map, "According to this, they're from Sunstone Island… So that's where we need to go."

_Shortly…_

"Huh," said Fishlegs. "I thought it was bigger."

Meatlug sat at the top of a small lump of land - next to a lone tree, while Toothless and Stormfly gripped the cliff top with their forelegs, while the rest of their bodies hung over the edge...

"You think?" Astrid asked – sounding more than a little sarcastic.

"I have to say, the beaches are a bit of a disappointment," Hiccup commented.

Fishlegs looked thoughtful, "Huh… One Island is missing, and another one's been sunk…"

"I guess an entire island _can_ disappear," Astrid commented – amending her earlier comment.

**'****_Something is very wrong_****…'** Toothless commented. Turning to Hiccup, he added, **'****_You feel it too, don't you_****?'**

Hiccup nodded, "We need to get back to Dragon Island: Now."

_Forty- five minutes later – Dragon Island_…

Dragon Island was where it was supposed to be, but that was the only good news: In the time that they'd been gone, dragons from three more islands had arrived…

Fishlegs listed off the colors: "Pistachio, Burnt- apricot, Vermillion…"

Astrid was watching Hiccup, who was examining his map. Finally, he said, "This is bad." He set the map down on a flat- topped boulder, and drew a line connecting each of the 'missing' islands... "If this continues, more islands will be in danger: Boar- Head Island, Thor Rock Island." He turned around, "Toothless: We're going back out."

"I'm coming with you," Astrid said, following Hiccup to where the dragons waited.

Hiccup nodded once, and turned back, "Fishlegs, you stay here in case any more dragons show up." Fishlegs nodded – appearing relieved.

_ Over the course of two hours_...

"Boar- Head Island should be down there," Hiccup said grimly. "It's gone too."

"So what do we do now?"

Hiccup's worried expression was replaced determination, "We keep going."

_Shortly_...

Astrid said, "Wow: Look at what's left of Thor Rock… You know, maybe Fishlegs's 'Wrath of the Gods' theory isn't so crazy."

Hiccup looked doubtful, "Lets take a closer look…"

They descended towards the island below, though they decided not to land. Immediately, something below them caught Hiccup's attention…

"This markings look familiar, but… different, somehow."

Toothless growled and – projecting his words so that they could all hear them, 'said', **'****_It looks like the entrance to a Whispering- Death's tunnel, but it's far too large: T_**_**his is the work of the 'Screaming- Death**_**'.'**

An instant later, another section of the island collapsed into the sea… A moment later, a massive bone- white dragon rose into view: The Screaming- Death, and it was far too large to have fit inside the egg they'd seen on Berk…

Hiccup's eyes widened, "Oh boy: Someone's been eating their vegetables."

"And everything else in sight!" Astrid agreed.

The dragon before them let out a piercing scream, that seemed to disorient their own dragons. Before they could recover, it dove back into the ground…

"The Screaming- Death has been destroying all of the islands," Hiccup realized. "It must be tunneling underneath, and causing them to collapse in on themselves."

"But why would it do that?"

"I don't know," Hiccup admitted. "Lets get back to Dragon Island: Now that we know what we're up against, we need to figure out a way to stop it."

Astrid agreed – appearing a little relieved, and they turned back in the direction from which they'd come…

_Back on Dragon Island…_

By the time they returned, Fishlegs was frantic, "Periwinkle blue! There're now periwinkle- blue marked dragons here!"

"I know," Hiccup said, as he got off of Toothless's back. "Boar- Head Island."

"And eggshell- white…" Fishlegs continued.

"From Thor Rock Island," Astrid confirmed, as she joined them.

"What happened to them?" Fishlegs asked.

"The same thing that happened to all of the other islands," As he spoke, Hiccup drew an 'X' over each of the destroyed islands depicted on the map. "Screaming- Death."

Fishlegs's face went white, "The Screaming- Death is back?"

"I don't think it ever really left," Hiccup admitted.

"Yeah," Astrid chimed in. "It just got bigger and nastier."

In a voice that made it sound like he _really didn't want_ the answer, Fishlegs asked, "How much bigger?"

Astrid picked up a handful of loose rock, and – sprinkling it as she spoke, said, "'Chomp, chomp, there goes your island'- big."

Fishlegs gulped.

"It's just as I thought," said Hiccup – standing over the map. He picked up his pencil; "The Screaming- Death is following an imaginary- line, destroying anything in its path…" As he spoke, he continued to draw the line, until…

"It's coming right at us…" Fishlegs breathed.

"That's not even the worst part," Hiccup continued to draw the line until it reached…

"It's headed straight to… Berk." Astrid's eyes widened as she realized what Hiccup was saying.

"We… We have to get back to Berk and… and warn Stoick!" Fishlegs exclaimed – barely keeping his panic under control.

"No," Hiccup's voice was firm. "We head it off... We make our stand here: There's no other land between Berk. Besides, if the Screaming- Death destroys Dragon- Island, all of these dragons will overwhelm Berk... And the Screaming Death won't be far behind."

"Look… I'm all about danger, but did you see the size of that thing?" Astrid asked. Even as she spoke, though, she realized that Hiccup was right: They had no choice…

"It's not going to be just us," Hiccup reassured her. Then he turned to Toothless, "The wild- dragons _will_ help us, if I ask them to, right?"

He could tell that Toothless understood what he was getting at, though the black- dragon didn't answer right away. In fact, it was almost a full minute before Toothless 'said', **'****_Yes._****'**

Before Hiccup could speak, Astrid was beside him, "What are you planning?"

Knowing that he was right – if not _how_ he knew, Hiccup said, "I'm going to use the Dragon- Trance…" When Astrid looked as though she was about to object, Hiccup added, "Just long enough to call the wild- dragons: Not even the Screaming Death would stand a chance against all of the dragons we've got here."

Astrid looked taken- aback, "Are you sure you can do that?"

It was Toothless who answered, **'****_If he is in need, the majority of dragon- kind will heed his call: We all know who he is, and what he is meant to be – even though the time is not yet right for your kind to know.'_**

Astrid still looked a little uneasy, but she decided not to argue…

Since the first time Hiccup had entered the Dragon Trance, his instincts had grown sharper than he would have believed possible. Now, he let these instincts guide him: He didn't know exactly what he was doing – nor, he knew, would he remember it afterwards…

Perhaps a minute after Hiccup had closed his eyes, they snapped open – Only now, they glowed yellow: The eyes of a dragon... A Night- Fury…

Astrid and Fishlegs knew what to expect – more or less, having been present the first time that Hiccup entered the Dragon trance… Despite that, it still came as a surprise to see those yellow eyes gleaming in an otherwise familiar face…

Hiccup turned his back on the ocean, and let out a series of growls and roars - no two of which sounded the same: Dragon calls...

And the wild- dragons answered his call... In fact - by the time Hiccup had stopped, close to a hundred wild- dragons had joined them: Ready to help defend their homes.

When he came out of his trance, Hiccup staggered - trying to keep his footing. A moment later, Astrid caught him by the arm, and helped him remain upright until he regained his balance… He grinned at Astrid, and nodded a 'thank- you'. Before he could speak, a distant roar sounded…

The Screaming- Death appeared in the distance – drawing closer with every passing second…

"Lets go," Hiccup said, already mounting Toothless. "If it gets underground, it'll be that much harder to stop him!"

The wild- dragons rose as they did, and – as soon as they were within range, they attacked the Screaming Death…

It wasn't a long fight: As Hiccup had predicted, the Screaming Death was simply no match for them. Every time it tried to unleash it's disorienting- scream, several dragons would zip in – each one biting at a spike- free section of tail, and the scream would turn into a growl of pain an annoyance…

The sheer number of targets prevented the Screaming Death from focusing on any one for more than a few seconds at a time. This, in turn, made its attacks all the easier to evade…

Finally, their mutual enemy let out a final outraged growl, and spiraled away.

Clearly relieved, Hiccup turned to the others, "Lets get back to Berk."

"Good idea," Astrid agreed, "Before something _else_ happens."

_Late afternoon – Near the Dragon- Training Academy…_

"I just hope we never see the Screaming Death again: It's giving Meatlug gas, and I don't have to tell you what that's like."

Astrid rolled her eyes, and went to join Hiccup – where he stood, watching the ocean, "Hey... Did you find anything else about the Screaming- Death?"

Hiccup glanced up at her, "Well, the good news is that they only hatch one every hundred years or so."

"That's the '_good news_'?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup nodded, "The bad news is that it's still out there, and… someday, it'll come back to Berk."

**_To be continued…_**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Pride of The Berserkers (ONE of TWO)**

**Part One – A Rescue, and A Discovery…**

_Almost two weeks later…_

Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, and their dragons had left Berk around midmorning – To search for Mulch and Bucket; who'd gone fishing, but had yet to return…

"We're getting pretty far north," Astrid commented, shivering a little as she spoke.

"Bucket and Mulch are two days overdue," Hiccup replied. "We need to keep looking."

"You don't think they're up here, do you?" Astrid asked, still shivering. She'd been striving to ignore the cold for over an hour, but it was getting harder – the longer they flew…

"You can't take the cold – huh, Astrid?" Snotlout interjected.

Turning back to glare at Snotlout, Astrid replied, "No, I just don't have a _heated- seat _– like you do."

For what must have been the thousandth time, Astrid wished it had been just her and Hiccup – though she understood Hiccup's reasoning for asking Snotlout along: If _they_ got stuck up here, Hookfang's fire could make the difference between life and death…

She _understood_ it, but she didn't like it.

Snotlout smirked, "That's right: You don't." He snapped his fingers, and Hookfang opened his mouth: An orange glow spread down the Monstrous Nightmare's underside, and Snotlout sighed, "Ah: Toasty!"

Astrid rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to examining what lay ahead of them…

A moment later, Hiccup spotted the boat, "It looks like they're in trouble… Come on, bud." Immediately, Toothless shot forwards…

Astrid, glad to have an excuse to put some distance between herself and Snotlout, shot after them – leaving Snotlout and Hookfang to follow as best they could.

_Meanwhile_...

"Berserkers: Commandeer this vessel for Dagur the Deranged!" The speaker was Captain Vorg. Even as he spoke, his men secured a boarding- ramp across to Mulch and Bucket's fishing boat, and were running across…

Before the first man onto the fishing- boat could draw his sword, Mulch had begun slapping the man across the face – repeatedly, with an eel they'd caught in their nets…

Two more men ran at Bucket – swords drawn… A moment later, Bucket had lifted them into the air, and tossed them over the opposite side of their boat…

A third man swung a mace at Bucket's head, but it clanged off of the metal- bucket on Bucket's head...

Bucket turned and glared at the third Berserker- warrior, who promptly hid his mace behind his back, and leapt overboard – after his comrades…

Bucket then walked over to the man that Mulch had forced to the deck, and sat on him until he'd stopped struggling… (As you might expect, it didn't take long.)

A sudden sound made them both turn in the direction of the Berserkers' boat, where the remaining Berserkers had leveled crossbows at them…

" Surrender or…" Captain Vorg's order was left unfinished – as he and his men were forced to dodge the wave of spikes that Stormfly had launched…

"Nice shooting, Astrid!" Hiccup called, before turning to Hookfang and his rider. "Snotlout: Light them up!"

Neither Hookfang nor Snotlout needed to be told twice: An instant later, the Berserkers' boarding- ramp had been engulfed in flames…

Then Toothless launched a plasma- bolt that struck the surface of the ocean, and the force of which pushed the two vessels apart…

Captain Vorg decided to cut his losses, "Retreat! Retreat!" As his men rushed to carry out his orders, the distance between the two boats continued to widen.

Before long, the second boat vanished from view.

_A few minutes later_…

The five Vikings and three dragons had gathered on the small glacier, where the Berserkers had – apparently, been working…

"What happened here?" Hiccup asked – the moment they'd all gathered together.

It was Mulch who answered, "They attacked us, because we saw… 'It'."

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look, and – speaking in unison, asked, "'It'?"

Gesturing for them to follow, Mulch and Bucket lead them towards a section of the ice that appeared to be being excavated. When they arrived, Mulch pointed at something that was encased in the ice, "It."

The three riders approached the excavation- site. Hiccup spoke first, "That looks like… A dragon..." As he spoke, he bent to wipe away a layer of condensation – so he could get a better look at the creature's head…

"But… Why would Berserkers be trying to dig it out?" Astrid asked.

"I think I know," Hiccup said. "And it's not good… Look, I'll tell you later: We need to get this back to Berk, or the Berserkers will be back for it."

"Oh, great: So now we need to dig it out?" Snotlout asked – disbelief evident in his tone.

"No," Hiccup replied, "I've got a better idea…"

It took some time, but they were able to extricate the block of ice containing the dragon from the larger wall of ice.

Ropes were fastened around the ice- block, and the dragons took to the air – supporting the weight of the block between them…

Below them, Mulch and Bucket hoisted their sails, and prepared for the return trip to Berk...

_Mid- afternoon – Back on Berk_…

The moment they'd docked their boat, Mulch and Bucket went directly to the Great Hall – to inform Stoick of their encounter, and decide what was to be done about it.

Meanwhile, Hiccup, and the others brought the ice- block to the Dragon Training Academy.

Once it was secure, and because he didn't want to leave Ruff and Tuff alone with the ice- block, he insisted that they all go to the Great Hall – and he'd answer their questions there.

They found Stoick sitting at a table near the head of the hall. With him sat Mulch, Bucket, Gobber, and a number of other villagers – and more were standing nearby…

They arrived in time to hear Mulch say, "This is an act of war!"

Before the noise level could escalate, Stoick said, "All right: Calm down… Lets not jump to conclusions about what this attack means."

Gobber spoke- up then, "I don't know, Stoick… It seems pretty cut- and- dry to me: I mean when you think about it, an attack is an attack – Am I right!"

Others began voice their agreement, and Stoick sighed in exasperation.

That was when Hiccup stepped forward, "I think I know why Dagur's men attacked Bucket and Mulch…"

The group fell silent, and Stoick said, "Go on, son."

Hiccup took another step forward, and said, "The dragon that Bucket and Mulch found in the ice…"

"We found a dragon?" Bucket asked – excited, "Oh, can we keep it? I've always wanted a dragon!"

"I don't think you'll want this one... See: It's a Skrill," Hiccup added.

Silence settled among the listeners...

"Are you sure about this, son?" Stoick asked.

Hiccup nodded, "Positive... And that's why I insisted we kept it in the ice- block: If we left it where it was, the Berserkers would've gotten it – and that would be bad news for all of us."

"We need to get rid of it," Stoick announced. "It's just the excuse Dagur needs to go to war."

Stoick got to his feet, gestured for Hiccup, the other dragon- riders, and Gobber to come with him, and made to leave the hall.

_A few minutes later…_

They continued their conversation as they made their way to the Dragon Arena…

"Now, I like a good fight as much as anyone, but why not just give it to them?" Gobber asked, "It's just a frozen dragon- carcass, after all…"

Fishlegs spoke- up – and he sounded nervous, "Actually… Because of their internal body temperature, Skrills can remain safely frozen for decades at a time…" (Nobody was happy to receive this 'little' piece of information...)

_Soon – In the arena..._

The block of ice containing the Skrill remained where they'd left it: In the center of the training- arena.

Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick and Gobber were gathered on one side of the ice- block – discussing how to go about relocating the frozen- Skrill…

Meanwhile, Ruff and Tuff had started fighting again. Unfortunately, the two heads of their Zippleback decided to join in.

A moment later, there was a rush of flames, and a stray- blast of fire from the Zippleback bathed the nearest side of the Skrill's icy prison…

A cloud of mist filled the arena, as the ice melted... Then something moved from inside the cloud: The Skrill was free...

Toothless, Hookfang, and Meatlug tried to force the Skrill back against the wall – and it looked like they were going to keep it contained…

Then the Skrill darted around them, and made for the entrance: Stormfly tried to block its path, but the Skrill rammed into her – sending the blue dragon flying, and shot out of the arena, and into the sky…

Hiccup and Astrid hurried over to Stormfly, as the Deadly- Nadder was getting to her feet, **_'I couldn't stop him… Sorry,'_** the dragon said – as they reached her.

Before Astrid could speak, Hiccup said, "Don't worry about it: You did what you could…"

"Are you ok?" Astrid asked – giving Stormfly a quick hug. Stormfly nodded, and might have said something, but a sudden groan caught their attention…

"What is it, dad?" Hiccup asked, turning to Stoick - who'd made the sound...

Stoick sighed, "When I was a lad, my father's father used to sit me on his knee, and tell me stories – I thought they were just tales…"

Not sure if he wanted to know the answer, Hiccup asked, "Tales about what?"

"Berserker fleets attacking behind harnessed dragons that brought down lightening from the sky, and destroyed everything in their path…"

Hiccup eyes widened, "You… _don't_ think the Berserkers could actually _control_ a Skrill…?"

"I didn't think anyone could _ride _a Night- Fury… We just can't take that chance!" Stoick turned his gaze upwards, "If the Berserkers find that Skrill, and know some way to control it…"

"We'll find it, dad: I promise…"

As Hiccup spoke, Toothless came over to stand next to him, **'Yes we will.'** With that, the Night- Fury raised his head, and let- out three Night- Fury calls... each of which lead into the next...

A moment later, his calls were answered…

Hiccup leapt into Toothless's saddle, and the black- dragon took- off… After several seconds, the others got over their shock, and mounted their dragons – who also rose into the sky…

The Skrill wasn't as hard to find as they'd originally thought… Since two of Toothless's cousins found it first.

Only a few seconds after the others had caught- up with Hiccup and Toothless, there were two simultaneous blue- flashes off to the east – followed by the same angry roar they'd heard in the arena below…

They turned towards the sound, and – a few minutes later, they saw the Skrill: The rogue- dragon was circling – perhaps a hundred feet ahead, and fifty feet below them…

When they saw Hiccup and Toothless, they and the Night- Furies drew- back slightly – allowing them to pull- up alongside of the Skrill.

"Hey, there fella," Hiccup said – as he and the Skrill first made eye- contact. Cautiously, he tried to reach across – trying to place his right- hand on the Skrill's forehead, and form a connection with the dragon… "You've been asleep a long time!"

Apparently the Skrill wasn't in the mood for small- talk: Bolts of lightning crackled to life – across the Skrill's scales, and Hiccup pulled- back his hand – to avoid getting shocked…

Then the Skrill shot in front of them, and bolts of energy shot from the clouds – coursing through the Skrill's wings, as the dragon prepared to attack…

Hiccup heard Astrid call his name, and he turned in his saddle to see his friends coming towards them.

An instant later, Toothless dropped – to avoid the Skrill's lightening- blast…

Astrid and the others also managed to dodge the energy- bolts – though there were several close- calls. (The closest being Snotlout – who'd taken a lightening- bolt to the head, when the Skrill had snuck- up behind him.)

The five dragons and their riders fell- back to the top of a nearest of a cluster of sea- stacks – to regroup…

As they were about to set- down, they saw three boats approaching from the east: Berserkers: And, at the front of the lead ship, stood Dagur.

'_Well this just keeps getting better and_ _better!_' Hiccup thought, until the sight of steam rising from Snotlout's helmet, 'distracted' him, and he asked, "Hey, Snotlout… Are you ok?"

Tuff chuckled, "He's better than 'ok'! – Didn't you see that lightening- bolt to the head?"

As he spoke, Snotlout turned to Hiccup and said, "Blah–ger–snag!"

Astrid grinned – and, obviously trying not to laugh, said, "Tuffnut's right: Better than ok!"

Snotlout let out an indignant, "Og–gogle!"

"And making more sense than usual!" Astrid added – managing to keep a straight face.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Ok: He's out of it…"

"Shmeg–eg–ey!" Snotlout cut in.

Hiccup sighed, "Snotlout: We've got no idea what you're saying…"

Tuff spoke- up, "Sure we do… He said 'I'm perfectly fine'." Hiccup raised an eyebrow at him, and Tuff said, "What? – I speak 'post- lightning Snotlout!'"

Hiccup brought a hand to his forehead, "How many times has this kid been hit by lightening?"

"Often enough," Tuff said. Snotlout mumbled something, and Tuff translated, "Twelve? Twelve times."

At this, Snotlout added, "Pluzzel, shriggmal, fraggle!" – Which, according to Tuff, meant "'Enough talk: Dagur's all mine!'"

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a look, and Hiccup said, "Ok: We're… going to have to talk about this later." He thought for a moment, then said, "Snotlout, Ruff and Tuff... Try to keep Dagur's boats busy."

As their dragons carried them up into the sky, Astrid turned to Hiccup, "How exactly are we supposed to fight that thing?"

"I'll figure something out," Hiccup said – in a low voice.

Astrid guided Stormfly closer, and – with evident emotion in her voice, she said, "Please be careful, Hiccup: You've had too many close- calls already…" She was silent for a moment, then added, "I… I can't lose you…"

As she spoke, Hiccup noticed that Astrid's eyes were unusually bright… The change she saw in his expression seemed to satisfy Astrid, and she guided Stormfly back to their previous flight- path.

Above them, Hiccup could see several Night- Furies moving- in – to prevent the Skrill from fleeing. At the same time, other Night- Furies were descending to join them, so they could discuss strategy…

Then it occurred to Hiccup that the other Night- Furies would have – through Toothless, have learned the hand- signals that they'd taught to their own dragons…

Astrid saw the smile on his face, and watched as Hiccup signaled to the Night- Furies…

First he pointed to the Skrill – to clarify the target, and then he sent the rest of his message:

'_Drive the Skrill towards the ocean_'…

Each of the Night- Furies nodded in turn – exaggerating the motion to ensure that Hiccup caught it, and then they spiralled upwards to rejoin the fight…

As he delivered the message, he saw some of Astrid's tension drain away.

A few minutes later, the Skrill shot passed them – appearing pleased with itself… and Hiccup knew why: The Night- Furies had 'accidently' let it 'slip- out' of the bottom of the air- net…

They were following its progress closely, however: Whenever the Skrill tried to level- off and fly in another direction, the Night- Furies 'reform' their net around it – and hold it there for a while. Then they would repeat their 'mistake', and the Skrill would again 'break free'…

By the time the Skrill caught- on to what they were doing, they were less than a hundred feet above the ocean…

Between the four- dozen Night- Furies that had joined the fight, and the five dragons with riders, there was no way for it to win free.

Now that they saw it again – out of the clouds, the riders saw just how bad of shape the Skrill was in: It was clearly exhausted – despite its easy access to lightening, and it had taken a beating from its continuous clashes with the Night- Furies.

Now that it was aware that the Skrill couldn't escape by air, it did the one thing that none of them had expected it to do: It dove into the ocean, and vanished from sight.

Sure that the dragon would leap back into the air at any moment – to make a determined bid for the open- sky, they spread out as far as they could without overextending themselves.

Finally, and for no apparent reason, one of the Night- Furies swung towards the riders and their dragons... Once it was close enough, it 'said', **'****_A dragon of that size couldn't stay underwater this long without coming up for air: It has either drowned, or it swam until it found shelter, or a chance to return to the sky… Either way, it is gone.'_**

A little reluctantly, the riders accepted this, and they and the Night- Furies returned to Berk.

Or rather, most of them did: Not long after the others had returned to Berk, Ruff and Tuff dropped out of the clouds on their Zippleback…

"Hey… Where'd everybody go?" Tuff asked – looking around as he spoke.

Ruff was also looking around, and it was she who spotted the boat below, "Hey – Tuffnut… Look at this!"

A boat that had – until that moment, remained hidden behind a sea- stack, came into view. At first, the Twins thought it was a Berserker ship, but than an all- too- familiar figure appeared on- deck…

Tuff's eyes widened, "That's not a Berserker! That's Alvin the Treacherous!"

Ruff frowned, "What would Alvin want with a Skrill?"

As sheer- luck would have it, their dragon had landed – unnoticed, on the top of the very sea- stack that the Outcasts had been using for cover.

A moment later – after the Skrill's limp body had been pulled aboard and secured, Alvin himself answered Ruff's question…

"Perfect," Alvin gloated. "Now that we've got Dagur's precious Skrill, we can discuss the terms for our 'alliance'… With the support of his fleet, Berk will be ours!"

His men started to cheer, but Savage voiced a question, "You're not really planning to give them the Skrill, are you?"

Alvin snorted, "Of course not: Once we know how to control the Skrill, and we've taken Berk, we'll finish off Dagur and the Berserkers once and for all!"

They waited until Alvin's boat had moved off a ways, and then the Twins exchanged a look…

"We should do something…" Ruff commented.

"Yes," Tuff agreed, "Yes we should..."

"Follow them?" Ruff suggested, "Or go back to Berk and tell the others?"

"Back to Berk," Tuff decided. "The others need to know about this."

Fortunately, the other riders and dragons were still in the arena when they returned, because the news – if it got out, would've caused mass- panic…

"So Alvin has the Skrill," Stoick said – as he paced back and forth. "This is bad… This is very bad…"

Hiccup's expression was thoughtful; "Actually, we might be able to turn the situation to our advantage…"

The others fell silent: It seemed impossible to them – but they all knew that if anyone could figure out a way, it would be Hiccup…

Stoick voiced the question they were all thinking, "How, son?"

Hiccup turned to the twins, "You said that you heard Alvin say that he has no intention of handing- over the Skrill…"

It wasn't really a question, but Ruff and Tuff nodded…

Hiccup continued to speak, "If Dagur has any sense, he'll expect a double- cross... And Alvin's already plotting against Dagur… If the Skrill were to, say, 'disappear' before the two sides could finalize the terms of their agreement…" Hiccup let his sentence drift, and the other riders in the arena saw a gleam in his eyes...

Stoick understood immediately, "The Berserkers and the Outcasts will start accusing each other of treachery… Their entire alliance will collapse before its even begun!"

Even as he spoke, the tension in the arena seemed to drop, if only a little: Hiccup's plan was bold, and risky...

"And they'll be so busy fighting each other that – with any luck, they won't even see us leave," Hiccup concluded. "But we'll have to act fast…"

**_To be continued…_**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Pride of The Berserkers (TWO of TWO)**

**Part One – The Plan…**

They spent the better part of an hour reviewing Hiccup's plan – both to ensure that everyone knew their part, and to ensure that they were as prepared as possible for anything that might go wrong. (Hiccup had also spent several minutes conversing with the Night- Furies that would be joining them. When asked, he said only that they were "discussing contingencies", and refused to elaborate.)

Finally, once everything had been settled, the Riders climbed onto their dragons' backs, and they and the ten Night- Furies that would be joining them, rose into the sky.

_Several hours later_...

As their group drew nearer to Outcast Island, the dragons with riders slowed and began to circle. Three of the Night- Furies flew ahead – on silent wings, to scout ahead. They returned only a few minutes later, with all the information they could need: The number and location of the guards who were on- duty; Which ones were stationary, and which ones were making rounds…

They also informed Hiccup that Dagur – accompanied by several boatloads of Berserker warriors, had arrived shortly before they had: Apparently, the leader of the Berserkers' Tribe looked **'****_rather irritable_****'** and was **'****_insisting that he see the Skrill before they even began to discuss the terms of a truce_****'.**

Armed with this information, they found a place to land – and for their dragons to wait, that was both near the Outcasts' Arena – where the Skrill was being held, a ways beyond the nearest of the sentries' routes.

_A few minutes later_…

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Snotlout peered over the crest of the ridge they were using for cover, and down into the Outcasts' Dragon- Arena... The Skrill had been brought into the main part of the arena; wrapped in chains, and surrounded by Outcast warriors – armed with spears.

Dagur entered the arena a moment later, "A Skrill: The dragon of my people!" He took several more steps towards the creature, "So beautiful; so supple… So glorious!" He spared a glance at the other men in the arena, and snorted, "You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you?" Dagur didn't wait for an answer, "Because if you did, you'd have this dragon safely out of the storm: It draws it's power from _lightening_!"

Hearing this, the gathered Outcasts hurried to force the dragon back into its' enclosure...

Once the gate had been secured, Dagur again moved forward, and – directing his words at the Skrill, said, "Not to worry, baby: When we get you all harnessed- up, you'll be free to strike at anyone you want… Or, more precisely, anyone _I_ want!"

Dagur chuckled, clearly pleased with the thought…

Alvin stepped forward, then, "The Skrill isn't yours yet, Dagur: You'll get your price, but only after you fulfill the terms of our deal!"

Dagur turned to Alvin, and forced a smile… though it didn't last long. Without another word, Dagur turned and stalked out of the arena, followed by his men.

Once the Berserkers were out of hearing, Savage turned to Alvin, "Remind me again why we're dealing with this… _lunatic_?"

In an equally low voice, Alvin said, "His knowledge of the Skrill; The size of his fleet: We'll need both to make sure we'll reclaim Berk…" Lowering his voice even further, he added, "Once we have, we'll dispose of them all."

_That night…_

Several hours after night had fallen, they put their plan into action: Eight of the Night- Furies spread- out to keep watch, and warn them if anyone was coming.

The riders and their dragons made their way towards the arena – accompanied by the remaining two Night- Furies... When they reached the main- entrance to the arena, the two Night- Furies that remained with them continued forwards… as black and silent as the night itself.

The guards never saw them coming: As a matter of fact, they saw nothing at all… Save for the flash of blue- light, followed almost- immediately by blackness, as the four men lost consciousness.

Once the way was clear, the other dragons and their riders hurried inside, and out of sight.

When they reached the enclosure where the Skrill had been, they knew they had bigger problems: The enclosure was empty... The Skrill was gone.

The other Night- Furies met them at the entrance of the arena, and there was no need to ask why: From a distance – though drawing steadily nearer, they could hear raised- voices and the pounding of footsteps…

Without a word, they rushed to find cover: The longer they could keep their presence here a secret, the better.

Perhaps a minute later, a group of twenty Outcast warriors came into view...

Two rushed into the arena – only to emerge a moment later, "THE SKRILL IS GONE! SOUND THE ALARM!"

Once the Outcasts had moved on, Hiccup and the others came out of hiding.

Turning to Hiccup, Astrid said, "We have got to find the Skrill before Alvin and Dagur do!"

Hiccup nodded in agreement, and – turning to the others, said, "Mount up!"

**Part Two – Changing the Terms**

Hiccup and Toothless were the first to spot the two boats – navigating the rocks that rose out of the sea… One bore the Outcasts' Crest on its sails; the sails on the other depicted the Skrill – which the Berserker tribe had adopted as their sigil generations before.

"Going somewhere, Dagur?" Alvin bellowed, once the two boats were within sight of the other.

"I go where I want, Alvin." Dagur called back. He held a battle- axe in his left hand, and was resting his right hand on the carved figurehead at the front of his boat.

"Not with our Skrill, you don't!" Alvin retorted.

Astrid turned to Hiccup, expecting to see a small grin on his face: The Berserkers and the Outcasts were turning against each other – Just as he'd planned. Instead, Hiccup looked grim. Before Astrid could ask what was bothering him, Dagur again raised his voice...

"It's not yours: It was never yours … Hello? It's on my belt- buckle, it's on my sail, my shields!"

"We had a deal, Dagur!" Alvin roared, clenching his fists as he spoke.

"Yeah, about that deal…" Dagur turned, and walked towards the middle of his ship – where the mast stood. "… I just changed the terms."

Dagur swung his axe – severing one of the ropes that held the mainsail in place: As the tension that the rope held was released, the sail drifted to one side, and they saw it…

The Skrill was hovering above the rear- deck of Dagur's ship – as high up as the leather- harness it wore would allow.

Two ropes hung down from the harness – so that the dragon could be 'aimed' towards its target; Two of Dagur's men stood near the rear of the boat, each of them holding the end of one of the ropes…

The Skrill clearly didn't like this arrangement: It roared, and bolts of lightening crackled down from the sky, and across its scales.

Alvin bellowed, drew his sword, and leapt across to the deck of Dagur's boat, "I'll cut you to pieces!"

Dagur smirked, "You'll try!" As he spoke, he leapt towards Alvin, axe in hand.

For several minutes, they fought: Alvin demanding that Dagur return 'his' Skrill, and Dagur refusing – telling Alvin that it has never been his.

Then Alvin sent Dagur's axe flying out of his hands, and slashed at Dagur again; he missed, but not by much…

"You can't run for ever, Dagur!" Alvin warned him, as the Chief of the Berserkers dodged his next two strikes – and leapt towards the rear of his boat.

Snatching the 'reins' to the Skrill's harness from his men, Dagur rounded on Alvin, "Oh? I think it's time _you_ did some running!"

As he spoke, Dagur yanked on the reigns: The Skrill roared, and lightning coursed through the Skrill's body… Alvin launched himself to one side – dodging the Skrill's blast, but losing his sword in the process.

Dagur yanked on the reigns again, and – like before, Alvin managed to dodge the Skrill's second blast of lightening…

Realizing this wasn't a fight he could win, Alvin rushed to the side, and jumped overboard.

Dagur chuckled, "Tired of running? … You want to try swimming?" Dagur leaped onto the side of his boat. "That won't help either!"

Alvin's eyes widened – and he vanished underwater, and the same moment that Dagur again yanked the reigns...

When the lightning hit the water, a patch of water – perhaps ten feet across lit- up. The light lasted for only a moment, though bolts continued to crackle across the affected area for several seconds afterwards.

Dagur chuckled again, "Well: That takes care of that."

By now, a number of other Outcasts had jumped across from Alvin's boat – weapons drawn. Dagur noticed them, and jumped back down to the deck, "Savage, I have a one- time offer for you and your men: You can join me, or you can _join Alvin_." As he finished speaking, Dagur gestured over the side – to the place where Alvin had vanished, and where dead fish were beginning to float to the surface…

The fight immediately went out of the Outcasts: They looked at the place where Alvin had vanished, then at the Skrill…

Those watching the scene from above knew what their answer would be even before the Outcasts gave it.

_Five minutes later_…

Five minutes later, the two boats had returned to Outcast Island – to begin preparations for their attack on Berk.

Fishlegs was trembling, "Oh, Thor… Oh, Thor… The Berserkers, the Outcasts and the Skrill! This is bad… This very bad…"

Astrid turned to Hiccup, "What do we do now?"

"What _can_ we do? We had our chance: We tried, and we failed." Snotlout said, scowling.

"We have _not_ failed," Hiccup said, in a surprisingly calm voice. "The most important objective of my plan to get the Skrill out of _Alvin's_ possession – because Alvin has the more dangerous mind… I'll admit: It didn't play- out as I'd planned, but this objective _has_ been achieved."

Astrid was the first to grasp what Hiccup was saying, "… _This_ is the 'contingency' you were planning for, isn't it?"

The moment the words were out of her mouth, the tension seemed to drain out of them… It fit: Hiccup was _always_ one- step ahead.

Hiccup nodded, and Astrid saw the same gleam in his eyes as when he was solving the riddles left by Hamish the Second… "Exactly: Dagur is playing _my_ game, now – and he doesn't even know it." Hiccup gave them a moment to process this, then, "Now: Here's what we're going to do…"

_Shortly…_

After Hiccup had explained his 'contingency- plan', he scribbled a short note to his father – explaining that they'd encountered 'a snag', and wouldn't return to Berk until the following day. He then gave the note to the Terrible- Terror he'd brought with him, and the little dragon took- off for home.

Then he and the others relocated – so as to have an easier time monitoring the readiness of the Berserker fleet, and they'd know when to put Hiccup's plan into action…

**Part Three – Contingency Plan**

_The following morning – Early_…

The sun was beginning to rise when Hiccup opened his eyes, and got to his feet.

He stretched, and turned to Toothless, "Great day to foil an invasion, hey bud: Light winds, plenty of cloud- cover…"

The black- dragon snorted, amused – and Astrid, who was also awake, chuckled.

The others woke- up soon afterwards: well rested, and – as Snotlout aptly put it, "ready to kick some Berserker- butt!"

They ate a quick breakfast, went over the plan one last time, and got into position…

_Within the hour_…

Savage marched up to Dagur, "The fleet is ready to sail to Berk, Sir."

"Excellent!" Dagur declared – gesturing with both hands as he spoke, "Now that this whole 'Alvin- business' is behind us, we can lure _Hiccup_ and his _Night- Fury_ into battle, and…"

"Why wait?" Hiccup called, as he and Toothless moved out from behind the boulder they'd been using as cover. "I'm right here, Dagur… and my Night- Fury!"

Dagur scowled up at them, "_Hiccup_."

"I thought we could settle this like real Vikings: Just you and me," Hiccup continued.

"Sir, don't let him bait you: We have the advantage in numbers!" Savage attempted to caution Dagur, who 'responded' with a backhanded blow to Savage's face that sent the other man flying backwards.

Dagur jumped off the dock, and onto his boat – where the reigns of the Skrill had been secured to the mast.

Turning back to Hiccup, Dagur said, "Me and my Skrill, against you and your Night- Fury? I like those odds!"

Once again, Dagur yanked on the Skrill's reigns: Toothless easily dodged the Skrill's lightening bolt, and swerved away – trying to lure Dagur into following them.

The Skrill surged after them, carrying Dagur – who was keeping a firm grip on the reigns, with it…

A moment later, Dagur's feet touched solid- ground, and he gave the ropes another yank: Once again, Toothless dodged the bolt, and he and Hiccup continued to lead Dagur towards the trap they had set – using what they had learned from the 'example' that Dagur himself had made of Alvin. (Even the best plan can use 'a few tweaks', now and then.)

Finally, they reached their destination; two stone- pillars with flat tops: One 'happened' to be dotted with several small– medium sized puddles, the other was clear…

It was 'almost' as though a dragon has breathed fire on the stone, to evaporate the puddles that _had_ been there – Not that Dagur would've noticed, or cared.

Toothless set- down on the water- free pillar – with Hiccup on his back, and Dagur's feet touched the other pillar… though his the toe of his left boot was in the water: It wasn't enough, though...

Looking smug, Dagur called, "Want to see superior warrior-ness? – Just keep watching!" He yanked on the ropes, and the Skrill launched another lightening- bolt.

At the same moment, Toothless launched a plasma- bolt: the two strikes collided in midair, and cancelled each other out. (Hiccup had known would happen, having witnessed it during their first encounter with the Skrill.)

When the next two clashes met the same result as the first, Dagur chuckled, "That's it? I was expecting something more… Challenging!"

"So was I!" Hiccup answered – trying to provoke Dagur into taking one more step forward, into the largest puddle on Dagur's rock...

It worked.

Dagur's scowl returned – as deep as Hiccup had ever seen it, "Any last- words, _Hiccup_?"

"I got nothing," Hiccup answered, "How about you, bud?"

'Speaking' so only Hiccup could hear, Toothless said, **_'Yes: This was too easy.'_** With that, Toothless launched one last plasma- bolt…

Dagur yanked the reigns, and the Skrill fired another lightening- bolt: Only this time, the lightening crackled traced a path the cords, and into Dagur: The water he'd stepped into conducting the electricity…

Dagur howled in pain, then – as the last of the charge dispersed, the force of it flung Dagur off of his pillar.

He landed – unconscious, but otherwise unharmed, near the base of the pillar he'd fallen from.

"I doubt he's going to be leading an invasion anytime soon!" Hiccup commented, grinning.

**_'Wish I could say the same for him!'_** Toothless said, as he leapt from the top of their column to avoid another lightning- bolt from the Skrill.

Their victory had not gone unnoticed by the Berserkers below, but before they could mobilize enough to retaliate, six of the remaining Night- Furies – as well as Hookfang, Meatlug and Stormfly, and their riders, attacked them from above.

Their goal: Keep the Berserkers so busy fighting and defending themselves that they couldn't attack, or track where Hiccup, Toothless, and the two Night- Furies who'd joined them, had driven 'their' Skrill.

The Night- Furies didn't attack the Skrill, rather: they followed close behind – ready to jump- in if needed, but mainly to ensure that the Skrill didn't veer off- course… It didn't: The Skrill seemed determined to finish- off Hiccup and Toothless. But no matter how many lightening- bolts it launched, Toothless evaded them all.

As the minutes passed, they drew steadily closer to the massive glacier that was to be the Skrill's new 'home'.

Finally – when they were within two- hundred feet of the glacier, the two Night- Furies who'd accompanied Ruff, Tuff, and their Zippleback to the glacier joined them.

Then the five Night- Furied began to actively harry the Skrill: Forcing it ever- closer to the large cleft in the ice, above which the Twins and their Zippleback circled…

Once the Skrill had been forced into the deepest part of the cleft and knocked unconscious by five consecutive plasma- blasts – and Hiccup and the Night- Furies had emerged into the open sky, Ruff and Tuff moved in…

**'Gas,'** Barf 'said' – an instant before the Zippleback's right- head began to release its cloud of explosive- gas.

**'Spark,'** Belch 'said', as the left- head ignited the gas - once they'd completed their pass...

As the gas ignited, and a flood of water rushed into the cleft in the glacier, the Zippleback- heads 'spoke' in unison: **'Boom- boom!'**

The waves of cold given off by the glacier were so intense, that the water required only a few minutes to freeze solid…

Once it had, they made their way back towards Outcast Island.

When their friends saw them, they rose into the air – until they vanished into the clouds.

By the time the Berserkers had pieced- together what had happened, they'd be long- gone.

**_To be continued…_**


	7. Chapter 7

**The 'Flight' Stuff**

**Part One – An Overeager 'Dragon Rider'**

Hiccup and the others arrived back on Berk shortly before noon, the morning after they'd set out to retrieve the Skrill.

They'd been spotted almost an hour earlier, so they weren't surprised to see the crowd that had gathered.

Hiccup himself told most of the story: He explained how – at first, it had looked as though everything was going to go according to plan. Until, of course, they'd made it into the Outcasts' Arena, to find the Skrill's cell empty.

He described the clash between Alvin and Dagur, and of how it had lead to Alvin's defeat, and Dagur's 'offer' to accept the Outcasts into the ranks of the Berserkers.

Finally, he described both his contingency plan, and ended with the news that the Skrill had been refrozen, and was no longer a threat to them.

After Hiccup had finished speaking, Astrid filled- in the rest of the story; mainly how the rest of them had gone about keeping the Berserker fleet busy, while Hiccup and those with him saw to the Skrill.

By the time she finished, a thought occurred to Hiccup: 'Someone' wasn't where he usually was… He glanced in the direction of the Dragon- Training Academy, then – turning back to the gathered villagers, asked, "Has anyone seen Gustav, recently?"

Even as he spoke, he was reaching for the nearest bucket: He already knew the answer. (And - given what had happened the last four times, well: might as well save himself the extra trip.)

_Shortly_...

Gustav had been in the arena for perhaps five minutes – pretending that he was a dragon- rider: He didn't have a dragon, so he'd decided to make- do… He'd tied a pair of leather 'wings' to a sheep's back, and 'borrowed' a set of bellows from Gobber's forge. Next he'd placed a lit candle in front of the bellows, and settled on the sheep's back – between the wings: Whenever he pumped on the bellows, a column of fire shot out in front of them.

Gustav was pretty pleased with himself: He'd managed to go a full four minutes before setting anything… That was when he noticed that one of the supply- crates was on fire. He leapt off of the sheep, and rushed over, "Oh, no! Oh, no! … What do we do? What do we do?"

He was about to start blowing on the flames – already knowing that it wasn't going to do any good…

Before he could, Hiccup upended his bucket of water over the flames – which immediately went out, "Gustav… How many times have we told you: You can't play in here."

"I wasn't playing," Gustav protested. "I was dragon- training!"

Snotlout smirked, "Poor kid… Ever since I let him into my inner- circle he wants to be just like his hero: Me!"

Astrid raised an eyebrow at Snotlout, "Gross and annoying?"

"No; A dragon- rider!" Gustav corrected – puffing out his chest, as he spoke.

"Look around, kid," Snotlout said, "All of the dragon- rider positions are taken, so unless one of us kicks the bucket, you're out of luck."

Toothless turned to Gustav, and – in a much kinder tone, 'said', **'****_Even dragons must wait to fly until their wings are strong enough to bear their weight… It is not an easy wait, as I and every other dragon know; but the freedom of the open- sky is worth it: Be patient._****'**

Gustav sighed, and nodded, "Ok…" He looked a little crestfallen, but he turned around, and made his way out of the arena.

As he left, Toothless gave Snotlout a cold look, and he wasn't the only one glaring in that direction. (Off to one side, Ruff and Tuff were talking in low voices.)

**Part Two – The Five Signposts of Valhalla**

_One week later – The Berk Dragon- Academy_…

"_I'M GONNA 'KICK THE BUCKET'_!" Snotlout shouted – as he burst into the Dragon- Academy arena, white- faced and wide- eyed.

The others glanced in his direction, and Hiccup said, "Uh, Snotlout… Do you mind? – We're having a Dagur- meeting, here."

Tuff tensed, "Dagur's here?"

"In the past week, I've seen three of the five signposts to Valhalla!" Snotlout continued, as he moved towards them.

The others again tore their gazes from the map, and – speaking in unison, said, "_We know_."

"You know?" Snotlout asked, incredulously. "And you're just standing there, talking about stupid Dagur? One of your bravest, and most treasured warriors _IS ABOUT TO LEAVE THIS WORLD_ – _forever_!"

"Look on the bright side," Tuff said, "At least you'll be in eternal- paradise."

"So will we," Astrid said, a little wistfully.

"Joke all you want about me, but what about Hookfang?" Snotlout asked, gesturing at his Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon glanced over at the sound of his name, and then settled down again, and – for all appearances, dozed- off.

"Are you done?" Hiccup asked.

Snotlout glared at them, "No… Not even close: Though devastated, and still in pre-mourning, Gustav had volunteered to carry- on the Snotlout- legacy!"

Gustav appeared next to Snotlout – though he looked more excited than 'devastated', "It's an honour!"

Astrid rolled her eyes, "Please tell me he's not going to fly around saying 'OY, OY, OY!'"

"That's a good idea," Snotlout turned to Gustav, "Gustav: Make a note of that."

Hiccup took a deep breath, and exhaled, "Look, Snotlout: The 'Five Signposts of Valhalla' is just an old story…"

"Oh? – Then why have I seen: The flying fish; the weeping rock; and the singing- trees?" Snotlout asked.

Fishlegs rolled his eyes, "You probably just saw: a salmon spawning, a wet rock on the beach, and a gust of wind."

"Besides, the 'Five Signposts of Valhalla' are only supposed to happen to great warriors," Astrid added.

"Obviously… What's your point?" Snotlout asked.

"And even if it were true – which it is not, you can't just pick someone to be your replacement," Hiccup concluded – exasperated.

"Well you guys threw- out my original plan…" Snotlout began.

"… To burry Hookfang alive beside you?" Astrid finished – her tone skeptical.

"He would gladly sacrifice himself for his beloved master!" Snotlout said, walking towards his dragon as he spoke.

Hookfang snorted, **'****_You're taking rather a lot for granted._****'** With that, he swept his tail across the arena floor, and sent Snotlout flying… He landed, face- down, a few feet away from where Hiccup was standing.

Hookfang settled into his previous position, and continued to doze.

Resisting the temptation to roll his eyes, Hiccup said, "Ok… Lets just say, for arguments sake, that you've seen three of the five signposts: It doesn't mean anything… There're still two left and…"

At that precise moment, a chicken fell into the arena – less than a foot from Snotlout's head: It was dead…

Snotlout saw it a moment later, and leapt to his feet… backing away, "Oh, no! Oh, no! – The fourth signpost: The bird of death!"

Hiccup bent over the chicken, "It's not the bird of death, it's just a dead chicken… It's not the same thing; right, guys?"

"Sure it is," Ruff and Tuff said in unison. "Definitely: Bird of death."

Snotlout turned to Gustav, "We're on the clock, little- man: We're starting your training immediately!"

Hiccup decided they'd wasted enough time on this, "Alright – Fine! The rest of us have to keep an eye on Outcast Island. While we're gone, try not to take anyone else to your 'eternal- paradise'."

He and the other riders mounted their respective dragons, and took- off.

_Several hours after noon_…

When Hiccup and the others returned to the Academy, Hiccup was half- hoping that Snotlout would've gotten over the whole 'five signposts business'…

Of course: No such luck.

Five minutes later, Hiccup had had enough, "Ok, this has gone on long enough: First of all, you – are – not – dying…" Snotlout made to speak, but Hiccup overrode him, "… Second of all, no one vested you with any power – and even if they did; Gustav is simply not ready to be a member of this Academy."

"Hiccup's right," Fishlegs agreed. "There's far more to being a dragon- rider than feeding it and getting on its back."

"Neither of which he can do very well." Astrid commented.

"Nobody's perfect… Well, except for me," Snotlout said. "Fishlegs is afraid of heights; the Twins can't count past nine…" He placed a hand on Astrid's shoulder, "Astrid has obvious anger- issues…" Astrid glared at him, and Snotlout hurriedly backed- off.

Then he turned to Hiccup, "Well… enough said."

Snotlout returned his attention to Astrid, then, "Ah, Astrid: What might have been…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Astrid has snatched his hand off his shoulder, and bent the fingers backward – far further than they were supposed to go.

"Finish that sentence, and you're not going to live long enough to see the fifth…"

"RUNNAWAY- SHEEP!" Tuffnut shouted, an instant before a river of wool flowed into the arena – headed directly for Snotlout.

Fishlegs gasped, "The Shepherds' Curse!"

"The fifth signpost?" Astrid's eyes widened, though she looked more surprised than concerned.

A moment later, Snotlout vanished beneath the flow of wool – though they could hear his muffled shouting, "Avenge me: Have lamb for dinner!"

Then the sheep moved further into the arena, and they again saw Snotlout: He sat up, coughed twice, and then fainted.

Snotlout regained consciousness a few minutes later – to find a sheep licking his face. He pushed the animal away, and got to his feet. He took one look around the arena, and said, "This is Valhalla? – What a rip-off!"

Hiccup shook his head, "Nope, still Berk: You fainted."

"More proof that my warrior's- body is failing me," Snotlout said, glumly. "I don't have much time: Hiccup… You have to let Gustav take my place."

"Gustav is not taking your place: He's not ready." Hiccup's voice was firm.

"Well… Train me anyway," Gustav suggested. "Isn't that what you do here? – I thought this was a dragon- training academy."

Hiccup took a beep breath, and let it out. Before he could speak, Astrid came forward, "What Hiccup's trying to say is that you need experience: You can't become a dragon- rider overnight."

"That's true," Fishlegs agreed. "The rider needs experience; the dragon needs experience; and the dragon and the rider _together_ need experience."

"Experience, huh?" Gustav said, thoughtfully. He nodded – apparently satisfied with that, and made his was out of the arena.

_A few hours later_...

Hiccup was about to suggest that they finish- up for the day, when an unfamiliar Monstrous Nightmare, and an _all- too familiar_ Viking- boy shot through the entrance to the arena…

Tuff took one look at the new arrivals, and said, "Is it me, or did a tiny Hookfang and Snotlout just fly in?"

"Gustav… What exactly are you doing?" Hiccup asked.

"Well… You said that I needed experience, so I found my own dragon, and trained myself!" Even as Gustav spoke, 'his dragon' was running amok in the arena.

Hiccup followed the new- arrival with his eyes for a moment, then said, "Gustav… I'm not entirely sure we have the same definition of 'trained'."

"Fellow riders," Gustav began, "I'd like you all to meet my dragon; Fanghook." As he spoke, the younger Nightmare got a little too close too Hookfang, who roared – causing the other dragon to scramble backwards.

Hiccup looked first at 'Fanghook', than back to Gustav, "Look, we told you: There's more to being a dragon- rider than simply riding a dragon… You need to form a bond – A friendship."

"We have one!" Gustav insisted. "Test us: We'll prove it!" Without another word, he hurried over to Fanghook, and clambered onto the dragon's back.

Snotlout and Hookfang stood off to one side; both of them watching the new (unofficial) rider- dragon pair…

Turning to Hiccup and Astrid – and keeping his voice low, Fishlegs said, "It might not be the worst idea… I mean, look at Snotlout: Maybe he needs to see how easily he can be replaced."

"Enough said: I'm in," Astrid decided.

"It's worth a try," Hiccup decided. He started forwards – and, in a louder voice, said, "You know what, Gustav, you're absolutely right."

Snotlout shot to his feet, "Whoa, whoa, whoa… He is?" – Scratching his backside as he spoke.

"Yes, he is." Hiccup repeated, "I mean: Maybe you really did see the five signposts to Valhalla, and maybe you are going to die soon…" Snotlout continued to scratch, and – finally, Hiccup added, " And maybe you can stop scratching your butt, when I'm talking to you?"

"Sorry," said Snotlout – as he scratched. "It's all this broad-grass in my shorts."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow, "And… your shorts are full of broad-grass… why?"

"A better question is why aren't yours?" Snotlout countered. Then – gesturing at Ruff and Tuff, he added, "The twins told me it prevents saddle- chaffing."

Hiccup turned to the twins; the pieces already coming together in his mind, "They also let the sheep in, and sheep do love broad-grass..." He started towards the twins – who started to back away the closer he got. "And I'm guessing you also dropped the 'bird of death'?"

"We have no idea what you're talking about," Ruff said – unconvincingly.

An instant later, two chickens dropped from the sky – directly into the arms of each twin.

The lot of them looked up, and there was the Twins' Zippleback – hovering directly above them…

The twins grinned, and bolted towards the entrance of the dragon- training arena… Followed closely by the _next_ two chickens that their dragon dropped into the arena.

Snotlout slapped a fist into his other palm, "Oh: I get it! So this means…" A brief pause, then, "I give- up: What does this mean?"

Resisting the urge to groan aloud, Astrid said, "It means the twins were messing with you."

"Right… Right," Snotlout said – as though he actually understood. "And…"

"You're – not – dying," Hiccup said – again.

Snotlout's eyes widened, "I'm alive? … I'M ALIVE!" With that, Snotlout started kissing his hands, then his arms, as he said, "Thank- you, Thor!" over and over again.

Leaning towards Hiccup, Astrid murmured, "I'm not sure which is more annoying: the Snotlout that thought he was dying, or… _this_."

Hiccup shrugged, but she could tell from his expression that he was thinking along similar lines himself.

Then Gustav spoke- up, "So… I guess we're not in the dragon- academy, huh? – "I just want to be a dragon- rider so bad!"

As he spoke, Fanghook came forward – until he was standing next to Gustav…

Hiccup looked from Gustav to Fanghook, then back to Gustav. Finally, he said, "Tell you what, Gustav: Why don't we make you our very first junior- apprentice- back-up reserve- replacement- rider."

"In- training," Astrid added.

"Fourth- class," Snotlout added.

Gustav was silent for a moment, then, "YES!" (He wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but he had to start somewhere – and this was 'somewhere'… sort- of.)

"You realize, however, that means you'll have to study," Hiccup told him.

Gustav nodded, "Got it."

"Take a turn clean- out the dragon- stalls," Fishlegs added.

Gustav nodded again, "Check."

"And no more unauthorized dragon- flying," Hiccup finished. "Neither of you are ready."

Gustav sighed, and Fanghook brought his head down, and nudged Gustav with his snout.

Reluctantly, Gustav nodded, "I understand."

"You're starting to form a bond," Hiccup told them. "And that's important, you just aren't ready to go to the next step – Not yet," Hiccup told them, and it seemed to cheer them both up a little.

They released Fanghook before they returned to Berk.

It wasn't easy, but Gustav gestured to his dragon, "Go on, Fanghook: Be free!" The dragon nudged him one last time with his snout, and the dragon turned and walked away.

A moment later, he vanished from view.

The others had remounted their dragons, but Hiccup and Gustav remained on- foot. In a voice too low for the others to hear, Hiccup said, "It's not that you can't spend time with Fanghook, but remember what I said: No unauthorized flying."

Then – in a louder voice, Hiccup said, "You need a minute?"

Gustav blinked: He wasn't sure how, but Hiccup seemed to have guessed at the 'arrangement' that he and Fanghook had made…

Gustav nodded, "Yeah… I'll – I'll see you guys later." (They weren't far from Berk: This clearing was only a little ways from the Dragon Academy…)

Once the other riders had departed, Fanghook emerged from hiding…

Gustav grinned up at his dragon, "So: What should we practice today?"

**_To be continued…_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Frozen**

**Part One – The Storm**

The people of Berk were no stranger to bad weather: They got their fair share – and then some. They'd gather provisions, hunker down, and wait it out – As they always had.

Since there was no telling how long the storm would last, Hiccup, the other Riders of Berk, and their dragons had taken shelter in the Dragon Training Academy – so they could at least get some training done.

At first, it hadn't been that bad: Days passed, the storm continued to rage, and things started to get less… 'Comfortable'.

_One week later, inside the Dragon Training Academy_…

Hiccup was standing in front of a diagram he'd chalked onto the side of a boulder, gesturing to it as he spoke, "So as you can see by the chart, proper wing- control can be achieved by…"

He was interrupted when a fireball shot over his shoulder, and into the boulder – leaving a layer of ash over part of Hiccup's diagram.

He spun around, "Ok – Ok: Who shot that fireball?"

Snotlout was leaning against Hookfang, whistling 'innocently', until he saw Hiccup glaring at him, "Why're you looking at me?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Come on, guys: I don't want to be in here any more than you do… Can we just get back to training? – Please."

"I say we play 'Twenty Questions' instead: Anyone? Anyone?" Snotlout turned towards where Astrid was sitting, "Astrid: Why do you love me so much?"

Astrid looked like she was about to throw- up.

_Flashback…_

_A few days before the storm had set- in, she and Snotlout had been paired- up on a mission: They were supposed to be looking for the Screaming Death, but – as always, Snotlout was using it as an opportunity to flirt with her._

_She ignored him for the better part of an hour, then – when Snotlout began suggesting that she'd fallen for him, and had __asked__ to be paired- up with him, Astrid had lost what remained of her patience._

_She'd decided to pretend that he __had__ won her over, and started calling him by a variety of pet- names – all of which were embarrassingly childish. Snotlout had immediately backed- off, pleading for her to stop._

_Later, once they'd rejoined the others, Astrid had called him by one of the names again – so that Hiccup could see Snotlout's reaction. It had been perfect: Snotlout's face had gone white, and he and Hookfang had pulled away..._

_When she saw the surprise on Hiccup's face, Astrid had explained her idea – making sure to keep her voice low enough to be sure that none of the others would overhear._

_After she'd explained, and asked Hiccup what he thought, Hiccup had hesitated for a moment, then – in an equally low voice, said, "It __was__ a clever idea, but… Astrid; Snotlout's not that bright: He might think you actually meant it." Noticing her expression, Hiccup added, "Just act as though it never happened: Hopefully, Snotlout will think he imagined it…"_

To Astrid's relief, Tuff spoke- up, "ME, ME, ME! – I'll go first: Question number one; how do you play 'Twenty Questions'?"

Hiccup sighed, "Can we try to stay focused, even for a second?"

"We've been stuck inside for a week straight because of this crazy weather," Astrid said. "We're all starting to go a little nuts."

A sudden noise caught their attention: Barf and Belch – the two heads of the Twins' Zippleback, were chasing their tails.

"Barf and Belch just realized they have tails!" Ruff said – laughing. "And it looks like they really hate that idea."

"I know," Tuff commented. "I got the same way when I found out _I_ had a tail…" He started running around in a circle, glancing behind him as he went. "… You can't hide from me forever, invisible- tail; I will find you!"

Laughing, Ruff walked over to the others and – in a low whisper, said, "I 'may' have told Tuff that he has a tail, too." Without waiting for a reply, she rejoined her brother.

Another distraction came a moment later, when the doors to the outside were pushed open – from the outside, and Stoick entered. "Odin's Ghost: It's cold out there!" Stoick commented, after he'd closed the door behind him. "It's the worst freeze in the history of Berk: My… My beard is frozen solid!"

Hiccup made his way forward, "So, Father, what brings you to the Academy?"

"Trader Johann hasn't reported to port: If he's trapped in this storm, he won't last through the night," Stoick explained.

"Oh, uh, I could go!" Hiccup offered. "I mean… Toothless could help find Johann's ship in the darkness: He's the perfect dragon for the job."

"Oh, I don't know…" Stoick didn't appear thrilled by the idea.

"Please, dad: If you ever cared for me at all – the way a father cares for his son, then you will let me leave _this_." Hiccup gestured around the room.

Stoick looked around the room, and Hiccup saw his eyes widen. He turned back to Hiccup, and sighed, "Close the door behind you when you leave."

The door opened and closed again, and Stoick was gone.

Astrid had overheard their exchange, "Be careful, Hiccup: It's pretty bad, out there."

Hiccup smiled, and gave her a reassuring nod; "We'll see you when we get back."

**Part Two – A Rescue Mission**

_Two and a half hours later_...

"It's pretty dark, out here," Hiccup commented. "Do your thing, bud."

Toothless released a peculiar roar, tilting his ears forward as he did; to receive the faint sound that would bounce back – telling him what lay hidden in the darkness ahead.

Just as the echoes were returning, the sun began to rise, and light returned to the world… _**'Oh, sure: **__**Now**__** it shows up,'**_ Toothless grumbled.

"Wow…" Hiccup said; amazed by what he was seeing. "Look at this: I've never seen the ocean frozen solid before… No wonder Trader Johann can't get to port!"

As they were passing over a bank of fog, Toothless growled. Hiccup was about to ask what he'd heard, and then the sounds reached his ears.

A moment later, a pack of… something – Hiccup couldn't get a good look, raced underneath them: running across the ice- sheet in the direction the two of them had come from…

Once the last of the creatures had vanished from view, Hiccup said, "I don't know what that was, bud, but I'm glad that it's down there, and we're up here."

Toothless growled again, then he spun around, and they continued on their way.

_Half an hour later…_

They found Trader Johann's ship a half- hour after they'd glimpsed the mysterious creatures.

As they drew nearer, they heard Johann say, "Oh, Master Hiccup: You're a welcome sight for these weary eyes!"

Trader Johann double- checked that all of his more valuable goods were locked safely away (– this took four minutes), and that he had his keys with him (– he didn't, and finding them took another ten minutes).

Finally, he joined Hiccup on Toothless's back, and the Night- Fury leapt back into the sky.

As they flew, Trader Johann offered to tell him about some of his adventures – to help pass the time. Hiccup had accepted eagerly – knowing that Trader Johann had travelled to a great many places, and fully expecting the tales to be both interesting and exciting.

He quickly learned that – whatever talents Trader Johann might possess, story- telling was not one of them.

Hiccup had a feeling this would be the case from the moment Johann had said "Did I ever tell you about the time I found myself up against the man- eating metal- masons of Minory- Majory? – Ah: It was…"

Hiccup and Toothless exchanged a look, and they could tell that the same thought was on both of their minds: '_It's going to be a long flight back to Berk.'_

**Part Three – The Speed- Stingers**

They set- down in the middle of Berk, already aware that something was very wrong: The storm had passed, and it was midmorning… but there was no sign of the villagers.

They searched house after house, but came up with nothing. When they reached his house, Hiccup hurried inside; but it was the same as the others.

They found dropped mugs, spilled drinks, and several abandoned wagons… but no people. It was the last of these that worried Hiccup and Toothless the most: If Berk had fallen to Dagur – or some other enemy, the buildings would've been looted, burned, or taken- over by the conquering- force… but there was no sign of any of that.

Trader Johann began talking about how reminded him of sometime when he was somewhere, doing something: Hiccup and Toothless both tuned him out.

A moment later, Hiccup saw a flicker of movement through the half- open door of one of the few houses that they hadn't checked.

Gesturing for Toothless to wait outside – in case he needed back- up, Hiccup cautiously opened the door, and stepped inside. Instinct told him not to call out, so he stopped where he stood: he took in his surroundings – listening for the creak of floorboards.

Then there was a sudden sound from above him, and something fell towards him…

The reflexes he'd gained since he'd first entered the Dragon Trance kicked in: He launched himself to the right, rolled and was back on his feet – dagger was in his hand.

He spun around, and found… "Fishlegs?"

Fishlegs wasn't listening, "They were fast… Too fast… Speedy… Oh: and their sting… Paralyzing sting…"

"Wow, wow, wow: Hold on," Hiccup said. "What are you talking about?"

With visible effort, Fishlegs stopped pacing and said, "Speed- Stingers."

"Speed- Stingers?" Hiccup repeated. "Here?" As he spoke, Toothless joined them inside the house.

Fishlegs nodded, "It all started just after nightfall: They don't fly, but they're fast… Faster than any dragon I've ever seen… They're scavengers: They head for any food they can find… One drop of their venom will paralyze any human or dragon in an instant… They move in a pack following their leader, like he's some kind of war- chief… By the time Stoick had ordered everyone to the cove, the entire village had been overrun."

Hiccup took a moment to consider what Fishlegs had told him, and then asked, "Where are the Speed- Stingers now?"

"I don't know," Fishlegs moved towards the lit fireplace to warm his fingers. "The sun came up and they disappeared… But they'll be back: They come out at night."

"I don't understand, Fishlegs, why did you come back here? Why not just stay with everyone at the cove?"

Fishlegs gestured for Hiccup and Toothless to follow. He led them outside, and pointed at the roof of a near- by building: On the roof of the building – frozen in place, stood Meatlug.

"Just look at her up there: So majestic…"

Hiccup stared at the frozen Gronkle for a full minute, then said, "How'd we miss that?"

"She tried to draw them off so that I could escape, but…" Fishlegs turned to Hiccup, "… I couldn't leave her."

Trader Johann rejoined them a moment later. He took one look at the frozen Gronkle, and asked, "How'd we miss that?"

It took some time, but they finally managed to load Meatlug into an empty wagon. Then the five of them began to make their way towards the cove.

_Later, in the cove_…

At long last, they crested the final ridge, and got their first good look into the cove. For a moment, Hiccup couldn't move: Everywhere he looked, he saw villagers – frozen in place…

They made their way down into the cove, walking between the frozen villagers.

After several minutes of searching, they found Stoick – Hiccup's father: He was standing on top of a large boulder, sword in hand, and he was frozen in place; like so many others…

On the ground, next to the boulder, lay Thornado – Stoick's Thunderdrum… The dragon hadn't been frozen, but he remained where he lay – though he glanced up at Hiccup, as the latter drew nearer.

"He gave as good as he got, Hiccup," Gobber said – as he joined Hiccup at the base of the boulder. "It took six of those Speed- Stingers to freeze the poor- bugger."

"Ha-rug-rug-rug," Stoick said grumbled – unintelligibly, from the top of his boulder.

"You bet-cha, Chief!" Gobber agreed, 'helpfully'.

"What did he say?" Hiccup asked.

Gobber leaned towards him, "No clue: Don't want to make him feel worse than he does, though."

Hiccup shook his head, "I should've been here… Toothless and I could've helped."

Gobber shook his head, "Nonsense, boy: there were too many of them… Nothing would've mattered." There was a brief pause, then he added, " I'll tell you one thing, though: Those Speed- Stingers would've been dinning on smoked- sturgeon and yak- jerky tonight if it wasn't for your dad!"

Stoick grumbled something else, and Gobber turned back to the boulder, "Couldn't agree with you more, Stoick!"

"_Hiccup!"_ Turning in the direction of the voice, Hiccup saw Astrid running across the clearing towards them.

A moment later, Astrid had thrown her arms around Hiccup, and he was hugging her in return. In a voice just loud enough for Astrid, Gobber, _and Stoick_ to hear, Hiccup said, "Astrid… Thank- Thor."

They separated a moment later, and Hiccup asked, "How's everyone else?"

Looking as though the world had just been lifted from her shoulders, Astrid said, "Everyone's fine; well, except for…" Astrid nodded towards an area behind where Hiccup now stood.

Turning, he saw Snotlout – frozen with his arms out in front of him, as though trying to shield himself.

This was only the tip of the iceberg, however: Ruff and Tuff had each taken 'control' of one of Snotlout's hands, and were taking turns slapping him in the face: "Stop hitting yourself, Stop hitting yourself..."

As they watched, the twins started to get more… 'Creative': "Stop picking your own nose," and "Stop scratching…"

Astrid shrugged, "Actually, when you think about it, it's really not so bad."

They watched the Twins mess with Snotlout for perhaps five minutes, then – as word of Hiccup's return started to spread among those who hadn't been frozen.

By then, a small crowd had begun to gather around them.

At first, the question that everyone was asking was "What are we going to do?"

Then someone turned to Toothless, and asked, "Come to think of it, where're all the Night- Furies? Why weren't they helping when the Speed- Stingers attacked?"

Toothless let out a low growl, **'**_**If I were to guess, I would say that my kin held back because to do otherwise would've done more harm than good. Once all of you began running about, there would be no way to ensure that we would hit our intended targets: The strike of a Stinger paralyzes; a plasma- bolt might kill. As to where at least some of my clan- mates are…'**_ Toothless paused, and released the now- familiar sound of a Night- Fury call.

From all around the cove, patches of darkness shifted, and transformed into dragons: Without their knowing it, forty- seven Night- Furies had joined them in the cove.

The nearest of the Night- Furies – a female, dipped her head in a short nod, _**'The Stingers used an ice- bridge to get here; Such things may last for years, months, or only a few days. If these Stingers learned of us prematurely, they could go into hiding: Your tribe's resources are not the only sources of food on Berk, merely the most obvious.'**_

A third Night- Fury – this one male, spoke next, **'**_**Even as we speak, more of our clan- mates are searching the caves and tunnels of Berk, to find the Stingers' daytime- roost – all, that is, with an entrance through which 'shadows' may enter and leave unnoticed…' **_He turned his attention to the man who'd voiced the last question, and added, **'**_**There are other caves, however, if **__**you**__** would care to join the search.'**_

The other Night- Furies laughed, and the Viking who'd asked why The Colony had not joined them in their efforts looked 'a little' embarrassed…

The second Night- Fury turned to the other riders, **'**_**We will remain here: Should the Stingers wake before you – or our clan- mates find them, they will not have so easy a time as the did last night.**_**'**

Relieved, the riders and their dragons gathered to discuss who would check which of the remaining caves. (The Night- Furies were right: They only had so much time to work with, and a lot of ground to cover.)

**Part Four – Hunting Speed- Stingers**

They were about to mount- up, when a voice that none of them were expecting to hear said, "Hold up: You are not going on a Stinger- hunt without me!" It was Snotlout – still frozen from the neck down, though the muscles of his face seemed to be returning to normal.

"Wow: That is seriously creepy," Tuff commented, which pretty much summed it up.

"His paralysis is wearing- off," Fishlegs commented, adding a sarcastic "_Lucky_ _us_" under his breath, though still loud enough for the other riders to hear.

Astrid rolled her eyes, "Snotlout, unless you plan on flying Hookfang with your teeth, you're not going anywhere."

"What do you mean: I'm fine!" Snotlout struggled to shift himself forward, but succeeded only in losing his balance, and falling flat on his face. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw… "Gustav: Get your butt over here!"

With some difficulty, Gustav managed to get Snotlout back on his feet, and over towards where the other riders were preparing to mount- up.

"Snotlout Jorgensen: Reporting for duty!" As he spoke, Gustav pushed his right arm so his hand lifted to tap his helmet in a salute.

Surprised, Hiccup and Astrid took several steps toward Snotlout, and then they noticed the extra pair of legs, standing behind Snotlout.

A moment later, Gustav stepped into view, "I'm Snotlout's arms and legs, Hiccup, and together we are…"

Gustav disappeared behind Snotlout, and – making both of Snotlout's hands jitter through the air, the two said, "Gus-Lout!"

When Gustav continued to move his hands, Snotlout said, "Ok: Stop with the hands."

A moment later, Snotlout's arms dropped back to his sides.

"Ok: Fine," Hiccup said. Then he turned to Astrid, and – in a low voice, added, "This aught to be good!" (Astrid smirked.)

They quickly re-assigned three of the caves to 'Gus-lout', and the five of them split- up – The plan being to meet- up at the center of town in two hours. (That would leave then with just under two hours until the nightfall: Hopefully, that would be enough time to complete their 'extrication- plan'.)

_Two hours later_…

"So… Anything?" Hiccup asked, as the five of them settled- down in the center of the abandoned village.

"Not a single Stinger," Astrid said, from atop Stormfly's back.

"Us neither," Fishlegs added, from Meatlug's back.

The Twins, too, reported no sigh of their quarry, while Snotlout remained… unusually quiet, as though – for once, he was trying to _avoid_ attracting attention. (This was so unlike him, that he quickly became the _center of attention._)

"Snotlout," Hiccup asked – suspiciously, "Did you check your caves?"

"Really? I'm insulted Hiccup: Of course I did!" Snotlout said, without meeting Hiccup's eyes. "What? Do you think I fell off my dragon, and spent hours trying to get out of the sand? HA-HA… I didn't!"

Gustav poked his head out from where he sat behind Snotlout, "He fell off his dragon and we spent hours trying to get him out of the sand."

Snotlout growled, "Gustav, make me punch you!" Gustav pushed Snotlout's left arm forward – intending to slap Snotlout in the face, as the Twins had…

Unfortunately, for Snotlout, Gustav had forgotten that Snotlout's left arm was stuck in the thumbs- up position. A moment later, Snotlout's thumb had been lodged between his upper and lower lip, and – because of the size of Snotlout's muscles, Gustav couldn't get it out.

A moment later, Gustav admitted defeat, "Sorry, Snotlout: Your arm's stuck!"

"Wha goo-goo mean, 'my awm- shmuck'?" Snotlout demanded – trying to force the words around his thumb.

Trying not to laugh at the image of Snotlout with his thumb in his mouth, Hiccup said, "Well: At least we know where to look!"

They stopped only long enough for Stormfly to grab the cage they planned to use to transport the Speed- Stinger 'Chief' off of Berk – and, by using it as a lure, to lead the Speed- Stinger pack off of Berk.

Good news: They found the right cave quickly enough; it turned out to be the first one they tried.

Bad news: The sun was beginning to set as they and their dragons were making their way inside… Talk about cutting it close.

Good news: They managed to catch the Speed- Stingers' 'War- Chief' in the grappling- line from Hiccup's shield…

Bad news: The 'chief' woke- up the moment they reached the cave- entrance, and the rest of his pack woke up perhaps five seconds later.

Worse news: The lead- Stinger broke the cords that bound just as the others were pulling it out the mouth of the cave; It roared, and its pack began to assemble for a charge…

Before they could charge, Hookfang breathed fire at the mouth of the cave – cutting the pack off from their leader…

At the same moment, the last of Snotlout's paralysis wore- off, and he yanked his thumb out of his mouth, "SNOTLOUT! SNOTLOUT! – OY, OY…"

Before he could say the third 'OY', the lead- Speed Stinger had leaped up, brought its stinger around, and stung Snotlout in the butt…

Snotlout had only enough time to say; "Oh, come on!" before the new wave of paralysis froze him in place.

Seeing an opportunity to salvage their plan, Hiccup called, "Astrid: Follow us!"

Astrid brought Stormfly around, and she saw the same thing that Hiccup had, "I think I know where you're going with this!"

Their plan required spot- on timing, and several perfect shots; and, of course, Hiccup and Astrid – with the help of their dragons, was able to pull it off.

Together, they forced the lead Speed- Stinger into the open cage, and – with another well placed plasma- blast, Toothless closed the cage door, and the latch fell into place.

That was when things _really_ started to go wrong: The five dragons and their riders had regrouped around the cage – Stormfly had several of the bars in her claws, and they were ready to take- off.

Then the other Speed- Stingers swarmed them: if they tried to take- off, the Stingers would freeze the dragons before they'd risen ten feet into the air…

That was when Thornado dove out of the sky – with Stoick on his back, and Hiccup could not remember the last time he'd seen his father as angry as he looked at that moment.

Thornado let out a powerful gust of wind, and the mass of Speed- Stingers was sent flying.

Thornado landed, Stoick dismounted, and walked directly towards the caged Speed- Stinger…

"Dad: You're ok!" The relief in Hiccup's voice was evident.

"Well you didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, now, did you?" Stoick asked, before he turned his attention to the Speed- Stinger, "_Remember me?_"

The Speed- Stinger trilled a reply, and Hiccup and Toothless – both of whom could understand it, winced…

"Yes," Hiccup said – firmly. "He remembers you."

'_**And – considering where he just told you to stick the blade of your sword, not in a good way.**_**'** Toothless commented.

Realizing that there was dragon– human interpreters on- hand, the lead- Stinger added several more lines to the first.

'_**I'm… thinking we shouldn't translate that last bit,'**_ Toothless said, mildly.

"I know I'm not," Hiccup replied – emphatically. "I just learned a few new swear- words from that guy… and I thought I'd heard most of them."

Stoick got the idea, "Get him off my island."

Hiccup smiled, and nodded to Astrid, "You heard the chief!"

Astrid grinned, "With pleasure!" With that, Stormfly lifted the cage into the air, and set off in the direction of the ice- bridge.

Seeing their 'chief' being carried off, the Speed- Stinger pack made to follow from the ground…

Hiccup and Toothless also rose into the sky, and they were promptly joined by six more of Toothless's kin: As they flew – a short ways behind Astrid, Toothless and his clan- mates took turns shooting plasma- blasts at the Speed- Stingers nearest to the cage.

Astrid and Stormfly flew the cage a half- mile down the ice- bridge, and then she had Stormfly release it.

As the cage dropped to the ground – where it shattered on impact, Stormfly looped back, and helped the Night- Furies destroy a sixty- foot wide section of the ice- bridge: just behind the last of the Speed- Stingers…

Once the Speed- Stinger chief had reorganized his pack, he glared back at Berk riders and their dragons – and the gap in the ice- bridge that separated them.

Then it turned and roared something to its followers, and they set off in the only direction they could go… the direction from which they had come to Berk: Home.

With evident relief, the riders and dragons returned to the cove, to tell the rest of their tribe that the danger was passed.

_The following day…_

The villagers spent much of the following morning repairing the damage that the Speed- Stingers had done; and making plans to replenish the stores of food that had been taken. More than anything, the inhabitants of Berk were glad to have the ordeal behind them, and to know that Berk was once again their own; as it was meant to be.

_**To be continued…**_


End file.
